New NCA topic proposals: FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions regarding the call for new National Clinical Audit topics (2011)

1.  Q: Have there been previous calls and will there be future calls for new topics?

2.  Q: Will feedback be available for unsuccessful bids?

A:  Yes

3.  Q: Can new audits cover the whole of the UK?

A: Current NCAPOP funding covers England and Wales only, however many audits have been able to cover other devolved nations. This depends on agreement and funding from the respective assemblies / governments which can be investigated after the topic selection is made.

4.  Q: Could applicants be asked to re-structure new topic proposals prior to acceptance?

A: This is unlikely. There will be a specification development period for successful new topics after topic selection, and any adjustments will be made then, prior to going out to tender.

5.  Q: What would happen if there is overlap between the scope of two or more potentially successful proposals?

A: One or other might be accepted or they may be taken forward in combination. The DH and NCAAG are keen to see support for new topics from a variety of key stakeholders including policy leads, professional and patient groups. Whether this takes the form of several separate proposals or comes together as a single proposal with supporting statements from key stakeholders should not affect the outcome.

6.  Q: How might subscription funding impact on topic selection?

A:  Whether a topic could transfer easily or not to subscription funding is not a criterion for topic selection in this round.

7.  Q. Do the large word number allowances for some sections indicate that long responses are required (eg section 4, Risks)?

A: Not necessarily. Many of the response sizes were kept large simply to allow for the possibility that applicants would have a lot to communicate; concise responses are perfectly acceptable.

8.  Q: please could you clarify the information required for the front section of the proposal form?

A:  See below:

Proposal lead:  This is the individual who is responsible for submitting the application and to whom correspondence regarding the application should be sent. Please include name and job title.

Clinical Lead: This can be left blank if the proposal lead is a clinician. Otherwise it is required as a person who can be contacted with any clinical queries related to the proposal. Please include name and job title.

Organisation: If the proposal is being made by an individual on behalf of a professional body or other organisation, that organisation should be stated here.

Partner organisations: These are organisation that would be expected to have an ongoing commitment to the project if funded, either as subcontractors delivering an aspect of the work, or as professional or patient groups represented on the project's steering group. Some of these may not be known at this stage (eg IT suppliers), but please include all those who have been approached and who have indicated a commitment or potential commitment.

Potential joint commissioners or funding partners:  There are occasions where other organisations express an interest in commissioning an associated piece of work, for example contributing to the development of a database or funding a change implementation module. Again, this information may not be known at this early stage, but if any such potential has been identified it can be included here.

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