Scottish Advisory Committee on Distinction Awards (SACDA)

Each year the Scottish Government Health Department recognises exceptional contributions to service by giving distinction awards to individual consultants working in the Scottish National Health Service. These awards are among the most prestigious acknowledgements in the UK. 

The 2010 round of awards will commence in October.  All applications are now self-nominating and are required to be submitted directly to SACDA by midnight on December 11th 2009. No late applications will be accepted. Applications must be submitted online. For further information and guidance on how to submit an online application, go to http://www.sacda.scot.nhs.uk/

Guidance on College Support
This year College will not be asked to submit nominations directly to SACDA. However, College may be in a position to provide supporting statements for a limited number of self-nominations. Should you intend to self-nominate and wish to be considered for college support, you should forward a copy of your application in confidence to nominations@rcpsg.ac.uk by
5pm on Monday, 26th October.

  Key Dates to Remember

 Advisory Committee on Clinical Excellence Awards (ACCEA) England and Wales

The ACCEA Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum National Awards are among the most prestigious awards of clinical excellence in the UK. These are awarded to Consultants who have demonstrated exceptional levels of clinical excellence in their field.

The 2010 round is now open on the ACCEA website. Applications are self-nominating. Those wishing to apply will be able to do so by going to http://www.dh.gov.uk/ab/ACCEA/index.htm. The deadline for submitting your application to ACCEA is 5pm on December 11 2009. Late applications will not be accepted. Download the 2010 guide for applicants.

Guidance on College Support
College is given the opportunity to provide supporting statements for a limited number of self-nominations. Should you intend to self-nominate and wish to be considered for college support, you should forward a copy of your application stating your request for support only, in confidence to nominations@rcpsg.ac.uk by 5pm on Monday, 26th October.

Guidance on College Nominations
College is a national nominating body and therefore has the right to nominate a limited number of candidates for awards each year. As with all other nominating bodies, the College ranks applications and submits its recommendations to the Department of Health ACCEA committee. All nominations made by the College are ranked using the ACCEA process.

RCPSG's ranking of applications is carried out by RCPSG's Distinction Awards Committee (DAC). Each member of this committee ranks each application independently. Thereafter, all ranking scores are collated and then reviewed by the DAC committee. The committee sits and agrees the final ranked list. DAC's final list is then submitted online to the ACCEA committee. The number of College nominations is dependent upon the number of consultants on the College membership roll and is calculated as follows:

Bronze award - 1.3% of consultant members with no national award
Silver award - 8% of consultant members holding B/Bronze award
Gold award - 8% of consultant members holding Silver award

Applications for College Nomination should be sent in confidence to nominations@rcpsg.ac.uk. Please note that RCPSG's Distinction Awards Committee will only inform those who are successul in being nominated.

Points For Consideration When Making Your ACCEA Application

• All applications are self-nominated and must be submitted online.
• This year ACCEA has brought forward the deadlines for submission. Make yourself aware of the timescales.
• Make sure you specify in which trust/organisation you are based to ensure that your application is considered by the correct sub-committee.
• Ensure that you are registered online with ACCEA so that you can obtain your unique login and password for applying.
• Ensure that the correct GMC/GDC number is entered.
• Use plain English and do not use abbreviations as lay people will be reviewing your form.
• Ensure that your application is stored in PDF, HTML or word file and that it can be received by any body in that format.  
• Ensure you save your work every 10min to avoid being 'timed out' or at risk of losing unsaved work. 

Key Dates to Remember