Concerns raised over quality of chronic disease care

09 March 2011

Posted by Samuel Couratin

The quality of chronic disease case varies between care homes and community programmes, it has been discovered.

According to research published on website BMJ.com, under the GP pay for performance system, residents of nursing and residential facilities are receiving poorer levels of treatment than those based at home.

Through the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) for general practice, doctors are required to meet targets demonstrating high levels of care.

The goals, which relate to patients with chronic diseases, appear to be resulting in poorer standards for those in care homes, as GPs are more likely to exclude such individuals from QOF reports.

In the retrospective study, Dr Sunil Shah of St George's, University of London and the other authors noted the pay for performance scheme needs to take those in residential and nursing premises into account by including measures that are "particularly relevant" to them.

Homes are required to adhere to national minimum standards and are regulated by the Care Quality Commission.