Scoffing at QOF?

According to research commissioned by NIHR, the GP pay-for-performance scheme, the Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF) has had minimal impact on public health in deprived areas. As well as milling the data (HES statistics, spearhead status etc.), the team from the King's Fund and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine conducted interviews with PCT and general practice staff. The gap in performance between least deprived and most deprived practices has decreased since the implementation of QOF, but differences were already small. It should be noted that QOF was never designed to address public health or inequalities issues: the report's main criticisms are reserved for the QOF system itself, which does not incentivise health improvement or public health activities, so much as efficient management of known/existing problems. The content of the 2012/13 QOF is currently being considered.