Annex B – Income Protected Indicators, Retired from 2025/26

Annex B – Income Protected Indicators, Retired from 2025/26

Overview

Notes
Annex B outlines the QOF indicators that will be retired in the 2025/26 GP contract, along with details on income protection measures for practices. These changes aim to reduce administrative workload while maintaining financial stability for practices transitioning to the new framework.

Retired QOF Indicators & Income Protection

Summary of Retired Indicators
  1. 32 QOF indicators permanently retired
  2. 212 reporting points removed, “reducing administrative burden”
  3. £298m reallocated from retired QOF indicators to the Global Sum and CVD prevention funding

List of Retired QOF Indicators:

Cancer

  1. CAN001: Cancer register maintenance (5 points)
  2. CAN004: Cancer care review within 12 months of diagnosis (6 points)
  3. CAN005: Cancer support discussion within 3 months of diagnosis (2 points)

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

  1. CKD005: CKD register (G3a-G5 stages) (6 points)

Cardiovascular Conditions

  1. CHD001: Coronary heart disease register (4 points)
  2. HF001: Heart failure register (4 points)
  3. HYP001: Hypertension register (6 points)
  4. PAD001: Peripheral arterial disease register (2 points)
  5. STIA001: Stroke/TIA register (2 points)

Dementia

  1. DEM001: Dementia register (5 points)

Diabetes

  1. DM017: Diabetes register (type-specific) (6 points)

Epilepsy

  1. EP001: Epilepsy treatment register (1 point)

Learning Disabilities

  1. LD004: Learning disabilities register (4 points)

Depression

  1. DEP004: New diagnosis review between 10-56 days (10 points)

Mental Health

  1. MH001: Severe mental illness (SMI) register (4 points)
  2. MH021: SMI Physical Health Check completion (6 points)

Obesity

  1. OB003: Obesity register (adjusted for ethnicity) (8 points)

Osteoporosis

  1. OST004: Osteoporosis register and fracture history (3 points)

Palliative Care

  1. PC001: Palliative care register (3 points)

Atrial Fibrillation

  1. AF001: Atrial fibrillation register (5 points)

Asthma & COPD

  1. AST005: Asthma register (4 points)
  2. AST008: Smoking status/exposure in asthma patients under 19 (6 points)
  3. COPD014: COPD with MRC dyspnoea scale ≥3 referral to pulmonary rehab (2 points)
  4. COPD015: COPD register with post-bronchodilator spirometry confirmation (8 points)

Rheumatoid Arthritis

  1. RA001: Rheumatoid arthritis register (1 point)

Smoking Cessation

  1. SMOK005: Smoking status and intervention for high-risk conditions (25 points)

Action Points:

  1. Identify which QOF indicators are retired and no longer require reporting.
  2. Adjust clinical and administrative workflows to align with the revised QOF structure.
  3. Focus on continuing high-quality care delivery despite reporting removals.

Income Protection Measures

  1. Practices will not lose income as a direct result of QOF indicator retirements – however the impact of the points redistribution needs to be understood and planned for.
  2. Redistributed funds ensure practices continue to receive comparable funding as long as practices recognise the changes and plan for them.

Action Points:

  1. Assess the impact of the changes
  2. Develop robust plans to ensure you achieve the more valuable KPIs
  3. Engage in training and practice adjustments to align with new funding models.

Impact on Clinical Focus & Workflows

  1. Greater emphasis on outcome-based care rather than process-driven reporting.
  2. Increased focus on CVD prevention as a replacement for some retired indicators.

Action Points:

  1. Shift clinical priorities to align with new funding models.
  2. Monitor changes in patient outcome expectations.
  3. Reduce administrative workload where applicable.

Next Steps & Deadlines

  1. April 2025 – Retired QOF indicators officially removed.
  2. Ongoing – Practices should monitor funding shifts and patient care priorities.

Immediate Actions:

  1. Review the impact of QOF changes on your practice's reporting and funding.
  2. Ensure staff are aware of the removal of retired indicators.
  3. Adjust workflows to focus on patient outcomes rather than QOF metrics.