New guidance from the BMA's GPs Committee on the Freedom of Information Act advises practices to be open about data from the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) introduced with the new national contract. Withholding QOF data could be seen as detrimental to the profession.

The new GPC document, Freedom of Information Act 2000 ? Frequently Asked Questions, is to be published on the BMA website this week. It applies to England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Separate guidance for Scotland is being prepared.

Under the QOF, all GP practices can work towards achieving points for delivering evidence-based quality care to patients. The maximum number of points a practice can achieve is 1000 plus 50 for an access target where one exists. It is believed that practices have scored well on QOF points achievement in the first year of the scheme's operation (April 2004 to March 31 2005), but as the scheme is voluntary and practices vary in their characteristics and the numbers of patients with qualifying conditions, individual scores will vary.

The FAQ document says it is unlikely that QOF data would be exempt from a requirement to publish, so a managed publication process is being planned with the Department of Health to "remove the present burden of releasing QOF data away from practices".

"Information will be published annually, most likely in July, by the Primary Care Organisations with the support of the Health and Social Care Information Centre" says the document. Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of the BMA's General Practitioners Committee (GPC) said: "It is a priority for the GPC to ensure that this information is published in a fair and understandable way. As part of the publication scheme the information on each practice will be put in context so that the figures can be clearly understood and not merely left open to over-simplistic interpretation. GPC negotiators will be involved in the agreement of a national framework to try to ensure this happens."

The new document states that the GPC is advising practices that to withhold QOF data could be viewed as detrimental to the profession and that practices should be seen to be publicly accountable.

Dr Meldrum says: "There will be a whole variety of reasons why some practices achieve higher QOF scores than others, many of them outside the direct control of the practice, and this should be explained when the data are published. For instance, a higher number of patients with a certain type of disease could make the points more difficult to achieve, or a shortage of doctors or nurses in a practice with unfilled vacancies could have the same effect. When these data are published they must be presented in a way that attaches real meaning to the figures, otherwise they will be open to misinterpretion.

"I believe GPs and their teams have done a magnificent job in delivering an unparalleled standard of care to their patients and that the QOF information will demonstrate this" he said.

Many other aspects of the Freedom of Information Act are covered in the FAQs document including responding to requests for information, exemptions, vexatious requests and financial questions. It will be available on the BMA website at bma/ap.nsf/Content/freedomfaqs The document has been circulated to Local Medical Committees which represent GP interests locally.

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