Cervical Cancer

Department of Health written question – answered at on 29 October 2014.

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Photo of John Baron John Baron Conservative, Basildon and Billericay

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on the retention of cervical cancer indicators in the Quality and Outcomes Framework.

Photo of John Baron John Baron Conservative, Basildon and Billericay

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on the inclusion of (a) breast and (b) bowel cancer indicators in the Quality and Outcomes Framework.

Photo of Jane Ellison Jane Ellison The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s independent advisory committee recommends new indicators or changes to existing indicators. NHS Employers, on behalf of NHS England, then negotiate with the General Practitioners Committee of the British Medical Association on which of the published indicators should be applied nationally and what the financial value and payment thresholds for those indicators should be.

There are currently four indicators within the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) that relate to cervical screening. These have had a positive impact upon increasing the participation in the screening programme in the past years. In April this year, one indicator on cervical screening: The contractor ensures there is a system for informing all women of the results of cervical screening tests was retired, as part of efforts to reduce QOF by more than a third to free up space for GPs to provide more personalised care. Indicators were retired where they were duplicating other existing incentives, were of low clinical value, were unnecessarily prescriptive or were already embedded in clinical practice. The removal of the indicators will reduce bureaucracy, unnecessary patient testing and unnecessary frequency of patient recall and recording.

There are two indicators that are relevant for all cancers. Indicators on Breast and Bowel Cancer are not currently within the QOF; however Public Health England will continue to explore with NICE whether these conditions should be included.

For 2015-16, there will not be any alterations to the cervical screening or cancer indicators, nor any new indicators for cancer, including breast and bowel cancer.

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