GPs to do further follow-ups with cancer patients, under future QOF proposals

GPs would be expected to monitor patients with cancer at three and 12 months after they receive their diagnosis, under new QOF indicators being proposed by NICE.

The new indicators would require cancer patients have a discussion about the ‘support available from primary care’ within three months of diagnosis and a ‘structured’ cancer care review within a year of diagnosis, according to the NICE consultation.

The consultation, which closes on 15 July, also includes suggested indicators for obesity, and vaccinations and immunisations.

Subject to negotiations between the BMA and NHS England, the new cancer indicators could replace the more loosely worded current QOF indicator which measures who has had ‘a review recorded as occurring within six months’ of the date of their cancer diagnosis.

NICE said the six-month review ‘is inappropriate for many patients especially in relation to understanding the support available from primary care’. The new three-month proposed indicator aims to ensure patients are aware of how general practice complements their secondary care plan sooner after diagnosis.

And it suggested the timepoint at 12 months for a review of treatment, ‘will give greater flexibility to general practice to perform the review at a time which is more appropriate for the individual patient’.

However, QOF expert Dr Gavin Jaimie, a GP in Swindon, said the new proposals are unlikely to solve the issues with the current indicator.

New cancer QOF indicators proposed by NICE

• The percentage of patients with cancer, diagnosed within the preceding 12 months, who have had a discussion within 3 months of diagnosis about the support available from primary care.
• The percentage of patients with cancer, diagnosed within the preceding 24 months, who have a patient Cancer Care Review using a structured template within 12 months of diagnosis.