Part of the Quality & Outcomes Framework introduced to allow GP practices to pursue the quality improvement agenda and not be penalised, where, for example, patients do not attend for review, or where a medication cannot be prescribed due to a contra-indication or side-effect.
Overall QOF exception-reporting rate rose from 4.87% in 2008/9 to 5.14% in 2009/10, according to figures published by the NHS Information Centre covering over 8,000 practices in England.
The Department of Health plans to introduce tighter scrutiny of GPs' exception reporting as part of revamping the system to focus on outcome targets.
