Clinical Excellence Awards in NHS
Doctors have to show performance
over and above expected standard-
Prof. Hamid Ghodse

BIRMINGHAM (UK): In order to be selected for the award of Clinical Excellence in the National Health Service, the doctors have to show performance over and above the expected standards. This was stated by Prof. Hamid Ghodse, member of the Clinical Excellence Awards Committee and its Medical Director. He was speaking at the Banquet of Midland Psychiatric Research Group’s 8^th annual conference held here from June 27-28^th 2008.  Quantity is not important but quality and sustainability are the two key issues in National Health Service. Those selected for these awards are expected to keep up high standards, show commitment to values and goals of National Health Service, he remarked.

Prof. Hamid Ghodse

National Health Service will soon be celebrating its 60^th birthday. Doctors from the Indian sub-continent, Prof. Hamid Ghodse stated have been the backbone of National Health Service. This is a fact which needs to be acknowledged. These awards are just like bonuses paid to employees by the corporate sector and other business houses in recognition of the extra ordinary services of their employees. The doctors can apply for Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum Awards. Giving further details Prof. Hamid Ghodse said that during the Year 2007, 72.3% of the doctors applied or were nominated, selected by peer group.  These Awards carry monetary benefits and lot of money is distributed to the doctors through this scheme. England, Wales and Scotland have their own Regional sub-committees. Each committee has twenty four members of which 50% are drawn from the medical profession. Six members are representatives of the management while another six are individuals drawn from outside the medical profession. The committee members are very much under the microscope.

There are fourteen regional sub-committees. Royal Colleges have their own committees and they nominate their own people. At times some nominations are also challenged and there are lot of check and balances. There is lot of competition for these Clinical Excellence Awards. Age is not important but level nine is for people about fifty years of age and level ten is for people with average age of fifty four years. So far thirty two consultants have been selected for platinum awards of which maximum number has gone to consultant in Medicine (12) while four each were selected from amongst pathologists and psychiatrists.  Fourteen consultants in medicine and six in psychiatry were selected for Gold category. Consultants in Medicine top the list of those who have been selected for these awards and it includes one hundred two in Bronze category, sixty two in silver, fourteen in gold and twelve in platinum category, he added. The total number of Clinical Excellence Awards given so far is as under:-

 Total Clinical Excellence Awards given so far by NHS

 Bronze             338

Silver                178

Gold                 28

Platinum           32

Those who get selected in the Bronze category can apply for the next higher award later on and similarly those selected in Silver category can later apply for Gold and then Platinum category. The amount of money paid in each category is increased depending on the category in which these consultants are selected. The highest payment is made to those selected in Platinum category. The idea of these awards is to encourage the applicants to maintain standards.

As regards ethnic background data for 2006 shows that  those who applied 950 were British, ninety two were Indian, thirty three other Asians and twelve Pakistanis. Women doctors are less likely to apply than men. Women doctors work in the community or they work part time, hence they are less likely to be picked up by the regional committees. Appeals can be made against the process but not against the decision itself but all appeals are properly investigated. Replying to a question during the discussion Prof. Hamid Ghodse said that one third of the members of these committees retire every year.

Earlier introducing Prof. Hamid Ghodse it was stated that he is an icon immigrant psychiatrists in United Kingdom. His contributions to academics and addiction psychiatry as well as British psychiatry are tremendous. He is a member of the Clinical Excellence Awards Committee and its Medical Director.

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