The perfect English patient – Zoë Harcombe
Executive summary
* The UK has been using a scheme called the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) since 2004 (with some country differences).
* The QOF assigns points for healthcare targets which general practitioners (GPs) (family doctors) are incentivised to meet.
* For 2023-2024, £135,000 could be earned by each GP practice if all targets were met.
* The targets and points tell us what is valued by the UK government/healthcare system.
* This note documents the targets, points and money, assigned to everything from asthma to schizophrenia, so that we can see healthcare priorities.
* This enables us to see what the perfect patient would be – the one that earns their doctor the most money.
* A much cited 2013 paper in PlosOne presented five lifestyle factors associated with reduced chronic disease and increased longevity. None of these are valued by the UK healthcare system.
