“No convincing evidence” that QOF improves care of patients with long term illness

England's incentives that pay GPs for performance have not delivered better care for people with long term conditions, a systematic review of evidence has found. 1 The study said that there was "no convincing evidence" that the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) influenced integration or coordination of care, self care or patients' experiences, or improved any other outcomes for these patients. For the current study it commissioned Kent University's Centre for Health Services Studies to examine evidence for the effectiveness of QOF in managing long term conditions. The evaluation found that QOF may be "associated with" some minor positive effects: a modest fall in rates of emergency admission to hospital of patients with long term conditions for which care is incentivised by the QOF, a modest increase in consultation rates in severe mental illness, and modest improvements in limited aspects of diabetes care.