The Department of Health today published the achievement figures from the Northern Ireland Quality and Outcomes Framework 2021/22.

The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), is a system to remunerate general practices for providing good quality care to their patients, and to help fund work to further improve the quality of health care delivered. It is a fundamental part of the General Medical Services (GMS) Contract, which was introduced on 1st April 2004.

The QOF measures achievement against a range of evidence-based indicators, with points and payments awarded according to the level of achievement. The framework has four main components:

• Clinical Indicators
• Public Health Indicators (including additional services)
• Patient Experience
• Records & Systems Indicators           

This robust dataset is made up of information voluntarily provided by all general practices in Northern Ireland.²

The data source for QOF is the Payment Calculation and Analysis System (PCAS), a Northern Ireland IT system that supports the QOF payment process.

Key Points

• The average achievement in Northern Ireland was 349.5 of the 547 points available (63.9%).  The average achievement rate for Local Commissioning Groups (LCG) ranged from 58.3% in the Belfast LCG to 67.7% in the Southern LCG. 

• During 2021/22, due to the continuing Covid-19 pandemic, the DoH agreed with NIGPC and the HSCB to continue standing down elements of the GMS contract.  The majority of Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) activity and reporting remained suspended in 2021/2022. QOF data therefore, for 2021/2022, may have been impacted upon.

• This year's publication has a new style report and web navigation.

Read the report on the Department website.

An interactive dashboard has also been developed to accompany this statistical release; access on the NISRA website.