Obesity: Health Services

Sandra Gidley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether she plans to allocate any points in the quality and outcomes framework of the General Medical Services contract to encourage general practitioners (a) to provide advice on weight management and (b) to refer patients to weight management services;

(2) whether she plans to allocate more points to the management of obesity in the new quality and outcomes framework of the General Medical Services contract.

Caroline Flint
Currently there are eight points available in the quality and outcomes framework (QOF) which measures the body mass index of patients as the indicator in the obesity clinical domain. There are currently no plans to increase the number of points for the obesity indicator in QOF or to include additional incentives in QOF for advice on weight management or referral to weight management services. However, continuous improvement is an underpinning concept of the current contractual arrangements with general practitioners and we will keep under review the quality indicators within the QOF.