Summary of QOF Points and Pounds Available 2004/05 - 2007/08

The QOF measures a general practice's achievement against a scorecard of evidence-based indicators.  These indicators span four domains: clinical, organisational, patient experience and additional services.  In 2004/05 and 2005/06 practices could score up to a maximum of 1050 points across 146 indicators.  For 2006/07 and 2007/08, reflecting agreement between the four UK Government Health Departments and The General Practitioner Committee of the British Medical Association as part of the 2006/07 GMS contract review, this was revised to a maximum of 1000 points across 135 indicators.

The distribution of points by domain and year are laid out in more detail in the following tables, whilst the domains and additional points are expanded on in further text below.

QOF - points and payments available to practices, 2006/07 & 2007/08

1) Evidence Based Indicators: Clinical Domain Organisational Domain Patient Experience Domain Additional Services Domain Subtotal: Evidence Based Indicators 2) Additional Payment Points: Holistic care Total

Number of Indicators 80 43 4 8 135 -

Total Points Available 655 181 108 36 980 20 1000

2006/07 & 2007/08 Pounds per Point Variable £124.64 £124.64 Variable £124.64

QOF - points and payments available to practices, 2004/05 & 2005/06

1) Evidence Based Indicators: Clinical Domain Organisational Domain Patient Experience Domain Additional Services Domain Subtotal: Evidence Based Indicators 2) Additional Payment Points: Holistic care Quality Practice Access Bonus Total

Number of Indicators 76 56 4 10 146 - - -

Total Points Available 550 184 100 36 870 100 30 50 1050

2004/05  Pounds per point Variable £75 £75 Variable £75 £75 £75

2005/06  Pounds per point Variable £124.64 £124.64 Variable £124.64 £124.64 £124.64

Notes:

1. £75 per point was the initial amount for 2004/05 and excluded employers' superannuation payments.  This was later raised to £77.50 per point, inclusive of superannuation.  Payments for 2004/05 published on this website are based on the initial £75.

2. £124.64 per point as applicable to 2005/06, 2006/07 and 2007/08 is inclusive of employers' superannuation payments.

3. Within the Clinical domain, the baseline payment per point is adjusted up or down for each practice according to a "prevalence rate" derived from the QOF register applicable to each individual indicator.  QOF registers may relate to a single health condition, or group of health conditions, and may have specific restrictions on them, e.g. covering patients within a particular age range only.  See  Prevalence data in the QOF for more information.

4. Within the additional services domain, the baseline payment per point is adjusted up or down for each practice according to the number of patients within the target population for each additional service type, relative to the national average target population size for that additional service.

5. Holistic care payment points are awarded on the basis of overall achievement in the clinical domain.

6. Applicable only to the framework during 2004/05 and 2005/06, quality practice payment points were awarded on the basis of overall achievement in the organisational, patient experience and additional services domains.

7. Applicable only to the framework during 2004/05 and 2005/06, access bonus payment points rewarded sustainable achievement against the 48 hour access target; that is, access to a GP, nurse, or other health care professional within 48 hours.  The access bonus was removed from the QOF at the end of March 2006. Instead, the requirement that practices demonstrate 48-hour access was formalised as a Directed Enhanced Service (Enhanced Services are another part of the GMS contract, separate from the QOF). 

8. All the payments in the four domains and additional payment point areas are added together to give the total "raw" payment for the practice.  This "raw" payment is then adjusted up or down according to the list size of the practice (i.e. the number of patients registered) relative to the national average size (set at 5095 patients).

The four QOF domains cover the following areas:

Clinical Domain
- In 2004/05 and 2005/06 the domain comprised 76 indicators in 10 areas. The split of the indicators and points into each of the ten areas is shown in Clinical Domain Points Available 2004/05-2007/08.
- In 2006/07 and 2007/08 the domain comprised 80 indicators in 19 areas. The split of the indicators and points into each of the nineteen areas is shown in Clinical Domain Points Available 2004/05-2007/08.

The organisationaldomain comprises indicators on records & information, patient communication, education & training, practice management and medicines management.

• The patient experience domain comprises indicators on patient survey and consultation length.
• The additional services domain comprises indicators on cervical screening, child health surveillance, maternity services and contraceptive services.

Where to get further information

Basic information on the individual indicators included within the QOF is available as an Excel format List of individual QOF indicators and descriptions

Detailed information on the individual indicators within the QOF is available within the following documents:

For 2006/07 - 2007/08  Revision to the GMS contract 2006/07 - Scottish Guidance  

For 2004/05 - 2005/06 Quality and outcomes framework Guidance - Updated August 2004

Further information on the calculation of points and payments (including worked examples), is available via the NHS Scotland Pay Modernisation website, within the document  Implementing the nGMS contract in Scotland - Improving Quality. The specific examples discussed apply to the original, 2004/05 QOF, but the general principles hold true for subsequent years.