GPs recieve award for patient treatment (From Gazette Series)

GPs recieve award for patient treatment

DOCTORS surgeries in Cam, Dursley and Frampton-on-Severn have been recognised for their treatment of patients across a wide range of conditions.

The first Quality and Outcomes Framework results since the new GP contract was introduced focused on patients with conditions including heart disease, stroke, asthma and epilepsy.

Practices within the Cotswold and Vale Primary Care Trust were awarded an average of 1,016 points out of a possible 1,050.

However, Dursley's May Lane Surgery, the Orchard Medical Centre in Cam and Frampton-on-Severn Surgery all were impressively above average.

May Lane scored 1,043.4, the Orchard Centre 1043.2 and Frampton 1,039.95. Chris Morton, assistant director of primary care for Cotswold and Vale, said: "These results prove definitively what we always understood - that GPs in the Cotswold and Vale PCT provide an excellent standard of patient care.

"The new system focuses on ten chronic disease categories and aims to reward best practice through a system of points earned against clinical targets."

The PCT's 33 practices were assessed by GPs from other practices, working with managers and lay assessors, including members of the local patient and public involvement forum.

As part of the new GP contract, points awarded in the assessment provide the base for the new GP pay deal.

The idea is to provide a financial incentive for achieving quality results to each GP practice.

PCT bosses are delighted with the results but say the impressive success has come at a cost to them.

Mr Morton added: "We were funded centrally for £1.7 million - equating to an average of 750 points per practice. Because our practices have dramatically exceeded that expectation, the total payment to GPs from the scheme this year is £2.5 million.

"All of our practices will have had to invest time and money to achieve these results and we congratulate them on an excellent standard of achievement, which is good news for our patients in Cotswold and Vale."