UPDATE: CQRS extraction for retired QOF points

By email to Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland GP’s and Practice Managers

Dear All,

Re: CQRS extraction for retired QOF points

We have sought GPC guidance on our position with regards to CQRS extraction for retired QOF points.

Please see statement from GPC:

"The GPC’s position is that the decision to retire and amend these indicators was intended to reduce bureaucracy and to allow practices to focus on the needs of patients. These indicators were successfully removed during negotiations as being clinically inappropriate and unhelpful to practices.

As such, there is no expectation that practices should continue to focus on achieving these targets, and GPs should instead continue to use professional judgment to treat patients in accordance with best clinical practice guidelines.

It is for clinicians to decide how they record clinical consultations and what codes, if any, to use. Practice funding is no longer linked to meeting these indictors and so it is a matter for practices to decide whether to respond to CQRS extraction requests.

Practice payments under the contract will not be affected by agreeing to the extraction. GPC anticipates a large fall in the recording of many of the retired codes, particularly those that were previously imposed, as practices now work more appropriately, and therefore believes that allowing retired codes to be extracted could help to demonstrate how inappropriate it was to impose contract changes in the first place.

Practices should be reassured that last year’s contract agreement still stands, and there is no contractual requirement for practices to record codes for former QOF indicators".

In view of the above, it would be up to individual practices to decide whether they would want to participate in CQRS extraction or not. If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact LLR LMC.

Kind Regards

Dr Anu Rao
Medical Secretary

Appendix: Advice from the BMA.
We have spent a great deal of time recently clarifying the position with NHS Employers to come to a shared view. This is the agreed position.  NHS England has or will cascade this to area teams.  It has been agreed by the GPC executive team.

Indicators no longer in QOF: Practices declining or retracting agreement to sign up for the CQRS.

Area teams and practices have asked about the purpose of the data collection and how to respond to practices which have either declined the service or retracted their agreement to sign up. NHS England has discussed this with the GPC and has reached an understanding on the purpose and use of the data collected. The following statement has been agreed.

“NHS England and GPC can confirm that practices will continue to undertake work and code activity as clinically appropriate in relation to those indicators no longer in QOF. Practices are encouraged to facilitate data collection on these indicators. Periodically, NHS England will collect data from practices’ clinical systems which will provide statistical information, be processed for audit and publication and will help inform commissioners and practices. It is not intended for performance management purposes”.

Action
Where the practice has accepted the CQRS offer no further action is required. Where a practice has either declined or not responded to the offer, area teams are asked to reissue the CQRS offer and encourage practices to accept.