DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release issued by COI News Distribution Service. 19 March 2009
Delivering the
best possible care for patients will be at the heart of changes to
the GP quality incentive scheme, the Quality and Outcomes
Framework (QOF), Health Minister Ben Bradshaw announced today.
Following a 13-week consultation with the NHS and stakeholders,
from 1 April 2009 the National Institute of Clinical Excellence
(NICE) will oversee the annual process of reviewing the clinical
indicators included in QOF. The consultation sought views from
clinicians, patient organisations, NHS commissioners and the
public. Using its experience in providing independent clinical
advice, NICE will now review the benefits to patients and the cost
effectiveness of the indicators used to assess the quality of care
provided by GP practices. NICE will be responsible for developing
a more transparent and inclusive process for setting priorities
with input from patients and carers, primary care professionals
and other stakeholders.
The final choice of QOF indicators will remain a matter for
negotiation between the British Medical Association (BMA) and NHS
Employers, based on the advice produced by NICE. QOF supports the
work of other schemes for improving healthcare such as extended
opening hours which means patients now have access to a GP at
evenings and weekends.
Health Minister Ben Bradshaw said:
The UK leads the world in providing incentives to GPs to improve
the quality of patient care. We have come a long way in addressing
health problems thanks to the current scheme.
"We want to ensure that GP practices continue to deliver
more improvements to patient care, and are better supported in
keeping patients healthy.
"It is important that the scheme continues to provide the
best health outcomes and value for money for patients. Asking
NICE to lead this new process for prioritising and reviewing
indicators will ensure the system is constantly updated to meet
changing health needs."
The QOF rewards GP practices for managing some of the most common
chronic diseases such as diabetes or heart failure; improving
health; organising practices well; how patients view their
experience at the surgery and the quality of extra services
offered such as child health and maternity services. A commitment
was made in High Quality Care for All, Lord Darzi's review of
the NHS, to develop a new, independent and transparent process for
prioritising and reviewing QOF to ensure it continues to support
GPs in delivering the best possible care for patients.
- ENDS -
Notes to Editors:
1. A copy of the Government response to the QOF consultation,
including a full explanation of how the current scheme operates,
can be downloaded from: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/index.htm
2. For further details contact the Department of Health press
office on: 020 7210 5221.