Prevalence data for 21 common conditions published today
Figures showing the recorded prevalence of 21 conditions, including asthma, hypertension, dementia, diabetes, and depression are published today by NHS Digital.
The annual publication Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) – Prevalence, Achievements and Personalised Care Adjustments Report, England 2019-20 also identifies how the recorded prevalence of these conditions has changed since the previous year.
The prevalence data is collected from general practices in England and can be broken down to regional and general practice level.
This robust dataset is made up of information voluntarily provided by 96.2 per cent of general practices in England. It is collected through the QOF, which is primarily used to improve care for patients by rewarding practices for the quality of care they provide.
Conditions are grouped into categories. These are:
Cardiovascular
Respiratory
Lifestyle
High dependency and other long term conditions
Mental health and neurology
Musculoskeletal
Fertility, obstetrics and gynaecology
Quality improvement
Prevalence of some conditions is measured as a proportion of the total number of people registered at a surgery, whereas others are age-specific.
QOF also provides information on the activity of GPs in relation to 26 measures overall – this is expressed as achievement.
Achievement scores are used to calculate what payment a general practice should receive according to the services it delivered.
