Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Kamall on 22 June (HL620), why the decision was made to remove central funding of the local clinical excellence awards scheme from 31 March; what assessment they have made of the impact this change will have on clinical academies; and why the planned amendment of Schedule 30 to include clinical academies within the group with a contractual entitlement to apply for such awards was abandoned.

From 2018 to March 2022, the Department was involved in tripartite negotiations between employers, the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association to reform local clinical excellence awards. However, the proposal was rejected by the executive committees of the trades unions and the negotiations concluded without agreement.

National Health Service trusts are therefore reverting to the arrangements in Schedule 30 of the consultant contract, agreed with the BMA in 2018. This does not alter the funding and eligibility position for clinical academics and represents a continuation of existing provisions.