Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) for Dementia

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HugoMinney's picture
Submitted by HugoMinney on Wed, 11/30/2011 - 13:28

The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) is a standard for GPs.  It is designed to drive through improvement, by encouraging GPs to deliver clinical and organisational improvements to the way they care for patients.  In effect, it pays GPs for doing the right things.

The QOF represents around 20% of GP practice income, so it is vital to ensuring that GPs have enough income to employ the staff to deliver care.  QOF consists of 1000 points, each one of which has a cash value, so the more points a GP practice achieves, the more it gets towards target income, and if GP practices miss a few points here and there, it hurts!

Only the most important clinical improvements are added to QOF.  When one thing is added, another has to be taken out - at any one time, there are only 100 or so clinical indicators.  This year, B12 status appears in the section on Dementia (from the BMA guide to QOF):

Dementia

Records Indicator Points Payment stages

 

DEM1. The practice can produce a register of patients diagnosed with dementia

 5  
DEM2. The percentage of patients diagnosed with dementia whose care has been reviewed in the preceding 15 months 15 25-60%
Ongoing management    
DEM3. The percentage of patients with a new diagnosis of dementia (from 1 April 2011) with a record of FBC, calcium, glucose, renal and liver function, thyroid function tests, serum vitamin B12 and folate levels recorded 6 months before or after entering on to the register

NICE menu ID: NM09

 6 40–80%

This means that NHS is taking Serum Vitamin B12 status very seriously - 6 points is worth around £1000 to the average GP practice - and it is usual that the first year only includes "know the status".  We anticipate more action once the impacts are understood

Information on the QOF can be found on the NHS Employers' Web site

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