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Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), enhanced services and core contract extraction specifications (business rules)

NHS Digital are responsible for producing and maintaining the extraction specification (business rules) for Quality and Outcome Framework (QOF), Enhanced Services (ES), Vaccinations and Immunisations V&I, certain elements of Core Contact (CC) and other services commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care.

Supporting information

Open the business rules supporting information v1.6

Open the business rules supporting information v1.5

Open the business rules supporting information v1.4

Open the business rules supporting information v1.3

Open the QOF business rules supporting information v1.2

Download the QOF business rules supporting information v1.1

A guide to importing .csv files into Excel

A guide to importing .csv files into Excel

Access the Primary Care Domain Reference Set Portal

The Reference Set Portal is an interactive tool which allows users to see which SNOMED codes are included in the current version of a reference set (refset)/cluster as used by the business rules.

Primary Care Domain Reference Set Portal

The clusters of codes used within business rules, produced by the NHS Digital Primary Care Domain, are now displayed using reference set identifiers (refset IDs).

Quality and Outcome Framework business rules

The QOF is a voluntary reward and incentive programme. It rewards GP practices, in England for the quality of care they provide to their patients and helps standardise improvements in the delivery of primary care.

Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) business rules v47.0 2022-2023 baseline release

NHS Digital is responsible for producing and maintaining the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) business rules (extract specifications).

Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) business rules v46.0 2021-2022 baseline release

NHS Digital is responsible for producing and maintaining the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) business rules (extract specifications).

Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) business rules v45.0 2020-2021 baseline release

NHS Digital is responsible for producing and maintaining the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) business rules (extract specifications).

Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) business rules v44 2019-2020 October 2020 release

NHS Digital is responsible for producing and maintaining the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) business rules (extract specifications).

Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) business rules v42 2019-2020 baseline release

NHS Digital is responsible for producing and maintaining the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) business rules (extract specifications).

Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) business rules v 41 2018-2019 October code release

Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) business rule v39 2018-2019 baseline release

NHS Digital is responsible for producing and maintaining the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) business rules (extract specifications). As well as the QOF business rules NHS Digital also produce and maintain business rules for Enhanced Services (ES), vaccination and immunisation programmes and certain parts of the GMS core contract.

Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) business rules v 38 2017-2018 October code release

Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) business rules (extract specifications) v38 2017-2018.

Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) business rules v37 2017 -2018 April code release

Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) business rules (extract specifications) v37 2017- 2018.

Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) business rules v36 2017- 2018 annual code release

Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) business rules (extract specifications) v36 2017- 2018.

Enhanced Services (ES), Vaccinations and Immunisations (V&I) and Core Contract (CC) components

NHS Digital have released the business rules for the enhanced services (ES), Vaccinations and immunisations (V&I) and Core Contract components (CC). This page will be updated as further ES, V&I and CC business rules become available.

Enhanced services (ES), Vaccination and Immunisation (V&I) and core contract components (CC) business rules 2023-2024

NHS Digital has released the business rules for the Enhanced Services (ES), Vaccination and Immunisation (V&I) and core contract components for 2023-2024. This page will be updated as further ES (V&I) core contract business rules become available.

Enhanced services (ES), Vaccination and Immunisation (V&I) and core contract components (CC) business rules 2022-2023

NHS Digital has released the business rules for the Enhanced Services (ES), Vaccination and Immunisation (V&I) and core contract components (CC) business rules for 2022-2023

Enhanced services (ES), Vaccination and Immunisation (V&I) and core contract components (CC) business rules 2021-2022

NHS Digital has released the business rules for the Enhanced Services (ES), Vaccination and Immunisation (V&I) and core contract components (CC) business rules for 2021-2022

Enhanced services (ES), Vaccination and Immunisation (V&I) and core contract components 2020-2021

NHS Digital has released the business rules for the Enhanced Services (ES), Vaccination and Immunisation (V&I) and core contract components for 2020-2021

Enhanced services (ES), Vaccination and Immunisation (V&I) and core contract components 2019 -2020

NHS Digital has released the business rules for the Enhanced Services (ES), Vaccination and Immunisation (V&I) and core contract components for 2019 - 2020.

Enhanced Services (ES), Vaccination and Immunisation (V&I) and Core Contract components 2018 -2019

NHS Digital has released the business rules for the Enhanced Services (ES), Vaccinations and Immunisation (V&I) and core contract components for 2018-19. This page will be updated as further ES (V&I) core contract business rules become available.

Enhanced Services (ES), Vaccination and Immunisation (V and I) and core contract components 2017-2018

Business rules for the Enhanced Services (ES), Vaccinations and Immunisation (V and I) and core contract components for 2017-18

Enhanced Services (ES), Vaccination and Immunisation (V & I) and core contract components 2016-2017

Business rules for the enhanced services (ES), vaccinations and immunisation (V & I) and core contract components for 2016-17

Indicators no longer in QOF business rules

As part of the contractual agreement it was agreed to continue collecting information relating to indicators no longer in QOF (INLIQ). Indicators retired since 2014-2015 will continue to be collected under this extraction. The reporting is essential, as the Department of Health and Social Care, Public Health England and other healthcare groups have indicated that the information linked to these indicators is essential for their work and wider healthcare programmes.

INLIQ (indicators no longer in QOF) v47

As part of the contractual agreement for 2021/22, it was agreed to continue collecting information relating to indicators no longer in QOF. Indicators retired since 2014-2015 will continue to be collected under this extraction.

INLIQ (Indicators No Longer in QOF) v46

INLIQ (Indicators No Longer in QOF) v45

INLIQ (Indicators No Longer in QOF) v45

INLIQ (Indicators No Longer in QOF) v43

INLIQ (Indicators No Longer in QOF) v43

INLIQ (Indicators No Longer in QOF) business rules v41

As part of the contractual agreement for 2018/19, it was agreed to continue collecting information relating to indicators no longer in QOF. Indicators retired since 2014-2015 will continue to be collected under this extraction. The reporting is essential, as Department of Health, Public Health England and other healthcare groups have indicated that the information linked to these indicators is essential for their work and wider healthcare programmes.

Indicators no longer in QOF (INLIQ) business rules v37 2017-2018

As part of the contractual agreement for 2017/18, it was agreed to continue collecting information relating to indicators no longer in QOF. Indicators retired since 2014-2015 will continue to be collected under this extraction.

INLIQ (Indicators No Longer in QOF) business rules v35.0

NHS Digital has released v35.0 of the Indicators No Longer in QOF (INLIQ) business rules.

Other extracts

Emergency COVID-19 data collections

GPES data for pandemic planning and research (COVID-19) - May and July 2020 business rules and expanded cluster list

This fortnightly patient level data collection is to respond to the intense demand for General Practice data to be shared in support of vital pandemic planning and research for COVID-19 purposes.

July 2020 business rules and expanded cluster list

May 2020 business rules and expanded cluster list

Find the most up to date information about codes and clusters

The rules and logic governing patient inclusion and extracted record content is provided by the GPES Extract for pandemic planning and research_business_rules_v2.0 or later version.

Coronavirus (COVID-19): At risk patients - September 2022 business rules and expanded cluster list

This weekly patient level data collection is an update to the Coronavirus (COVID-19): At risk patients extract and incorporates changes to clusters based on updated cohort definitions.

September 2022 business rules and expanded cluster list

Coronavirus (COVID-19): At risk patients - March 2021 business rules and expanded cluster list

This weekly patient level data collection is an update to the Coronavirus (COVID-19): At risk patients extract and incorporates changes to clusters covering potentially clinically vulnerable groups.

March 2021 business rules and expanded cluster list

Coronavirus (COVID-19): At risk patients - September 2020 business rules and expanded cluster list

This weekly patient level data collection is an update to the Coronavirus (COVID-19): Shielded patients list extract and incorporates additional clusters covering potentially clinically vulnerable groups including clusters from the updated Seasonal Flu business rules.

September 2020 business rules and expanded cluster list

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Shielded patients list - April 2020 business rules and expanded cluster list

This weekly patient level data collection is being used to help inform the shielded patient list as part of the national COVID-19 response.

April 2020 business rules and expanded cluster list

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Shielded patients list - March 2020 business rules and expanded cluster list

This first patient level data collection is based on the seasonal flu enhanced service business rules and was used to help inform the national COVID-19 response.

March 2020 business rules and expanded cluster list

Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Audit (CVDPREVENT)

Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Audit (CVDPREVENT)

CVDPREVENT is a national primary care audit that will automatically extract routinely held GP data, via GPES. It will provide a foundation for professionally led quality improvement in individual GP practices across Primary Care Networks (PCNs).

General practice to diabetic retinopathy screening (GP2DRS) system - diabetic eye screening programme

Evidence shows that early identification and treatment of diabetic eye disease could reduce sight loss. The main treatment for diabetic retinopathy is laser surgery. This service looks to identify those at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy.

GP2DRS (Diabetic eye screening programme)

Screening is the process of identifying people who appear healthy, but who may be at increased risk of a disease or condition.

Individual GP level data

The Government's mandate to NHS England includes a task of working with NHS Digital and The Department of Health (DH) to provide GPs and general practices with information on the care provision for their patients.

Individual GP level data

The Government's mandate to NHS England includes a task of working with NHS Digital and The Department of Health (DH) to provide General Practitioners (GPs) and general practices with information on the care provision for their patients.

Learning Disabilities Data (LDD)

The LDD aims to:

make information about the health and healthcare for people with learning disabilities more readily available and understandable
undertake detailed secondary analyses of existing datasets to identify important new lessons for service improvement and development
share the learning by working to ensure that key messages about best practice in providing healthcare for people with learning disabilities are widely understood
improve available information by surveying data gaps and working to fill them.

Learning Disabilities Data (LDD)

The learning disabilities observatory data collection supports the production of a range of primary care indicators to get a more detailed understanding of the health of people with learning disabilities in each part of the country.

Lipid management

The ruleset lays out how General Practice systems should search for specific clinical information in patient records. Firstly, the searches look for patients who already have cardiovascular disease and then filter out those whose lipid control is good; they then find those who have had difficulties with or have not wanted lipid lowering therapy in the past so that clinicians can consider what next steps to take, including offering one of the newer therapies.

For the remaining patients, the searches then determine which of the available treatment options (several high intensity stain and other non-statin alternatives) may be suitable, taking into account relevant factors such as allergies, current lipid levels and kidney function. The end result is a list of patients for each group of possible treatment options which can be used by practices to review patient records and then call patients for review.

There are 2 sets of business rules included in the zip file below. The difference is in the way they are structured, with the ‘New Style’ ones reducing some of the duplication of logic needed by the usual style business rules. System suppliers have the choice of using whichever business rules suit their set up.

Unlike with other business rules, data relating to this service is not collected by NHS Digital.

Lipid management business rules and expanded cluster list

Lipid management searches

We've developed a new lipid management search tool to cover atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and the secondary prevention lipid management pathway, which will help those in general practice to proactively identify patients who may benefit from treatment intervention or review.

NHS Health Checks

NHS Digital, acting on behalf of Public Health England (PHE), will be collecting information about the numbers of people who are invited to an NHS Health Check and either attend or do not attend.

NHS Health Checks

NHS Digital, acting on behalf of Public Health England (PHE), will be collecting information about the numbers of people who are invited to an NHS Health Check and either attend or do not attend.

Physical health checks for people with severe mental illness (PHSMI)

PHSMI data extract collects information detailed on GP records for patients with severe mental illness and not recorded as ‘in remission’.

This collection helps to ensure that people with severe mental illness have their physical health needs met by monitoring the delivery of comprehensive physical health check, collects information on relevant follow-up interventions and to understand their physical health outcomes.

Physical health checks for people with severe mental illness (PHSMI)

This collection will help to ensure that people with severe mental illness have their physical health needs met by monitoring the delivery of a comprehensive physical health check. It will provide information on relevant follow-up interventions and help to understand physical health outcomes.

Last edited: 24 January 2023 8:36 am