Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF): Disease prevalence, achievement and exceptions data

Annual data from the 2013/14 year onwards, published by NHS Digital, detailing disease prevalence and achievement/exception performance for GP practices in England under the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF). The dataset covers 24 clinical areas including asthma, diabetes, and dementia, with data aggregated at practice, CCG, Area Team, Region, and national levels.

Use Cases

• Analyze regional disparities in chronic disease management based on GP practice achievement data.
• Track prevalence trends for specific conditions like diabetes or hypertension over time.
• Benchmark GP practice performance against national indicators for quality and productivity.
• Study patient exception reporting patterns for clinical conditions across different demographics.

Strengths

• Covers 24 specific clinical prevalence registers, including atrial fibrillation, asthma, and diabetes.
• Data is aggregated at multiple administrative levels: GP practice, CCG, Area Team, Region, and England.
• Annual time series starting from the 2013/14 financial year, with earlier years available in summary format.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale analysis.
• Data may reflect geographic and systemic biases inherent to the English NHS primary care system.

Provenance

Source

NHS Digital

Collection Method

Voluntary annual reporting from GP practices in England as part of the QOF incentive programme.

Time Range

2013/14 onwards (with summary data for prior years back to 2004)

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-08 13:30:21.495762; freshness should be verified.

Geography

England, aggregated at GP practice, CCG, Area Team, Region, and national levels.