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QOF payments on track after data error corrected

NHS managers have said that problems with QOF payments have been resolved, meaning GP practices are back on track to receive their end-of-year QOF achievement payments.

The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) has said it collected new data from software supplier EMIS last month to enable the calculation of the QOF payments, including achievement payments from last year and 2015/16 aspiration payments.

As reported by Pulse at the beginning of April, all GP practices in England had to have their QOF payments recalculated following ‘incorrect data returns’ from the IT supplier.

Although EMIS apologised for the inconvenience to practices, the GPC said its biggest concern was if the issue led to delayed payments. In Essex, GP practices were already told their April payments would be delayed until this month.

However the HSCIC told Pulse all issues were now resolved.

A spokesperson said: ‘I can confirm that fresh collection of QOF data did take place from practices using EMIS in the third week in April to address the issue.’

With the majority of practices using the EMIS IT platform a lack of data from the supplier meant that the national prevalence figures for 2014/15 were incorrect and therefore the QOF achievement for all practices, including those not on EMIS, had been incorrectly calculated.

It is not the first time problems have affected QOF payments. Last year practices had to be repaid after an NHS England error led to practices being underpaid by 1.9%, coming after a year of payment ‘chaos’ experienced by practices since the handover of GP contracts from PCTs to NHS England, CCGs and local authorities.