Skip to main content
01274 442076
QOF 2026/27 Changes: What GP Practices and PCNs Need to Know
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
- What are the key QOF changes for 2026/27?
- What are the new QOF indicators for diabetes, heart failure and obesity?
- What has changed for childhood vaccinations?
- Need support to prepare your practice?
- What should GP practices do about QOF 2026/27?
- How can PCNs and clinical pharmacy teams support QOF delivery?
The QOF 2026/27 framework adds 18 QOF points and refines measures for diabetes, heart failure, obesity and childhood vaccinations. For QOF 2026/27, GP practices and PCNs should identify cohorts, check records and assign follow-up early, as NHS England sets out.
The GP contract 2026/27 changes and NHS England’s Quality and Outcomes Framework guidance took effect on 1 April 2026. They align the scheme with current guidance and effective care.
Key takeaways
- Additional investment: QOF 2026/27 adds 18 points, worth about £25 million nationally.
- New measures: DM037, HF009, OB004 and OB005 cover diabetes, heart failure and obesity.
- Vaccinations: Three childhood-vaccination indicators can reward improvement from a practice’s own baseline.
- QOF points and payment: Each achieved QOF point is valued at £227.95 before the relevant calculation and Contractor Population Index are applied under the SFE Directions 2026.
Taken together, the QOF changes 2026/27 make early cohort review and clear follow-up ownership more important than year-end recovery work.
What are the key QOF changes for 2026/27?
QOF changes 2026/27 within the Quality and Outcomes Framework include new and revised indicators, point reallocations and a second vaccination-improvement route. The official changes table sets out the detail.
| Area | Change | QOF Points |
|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | DM037 measures all eight NICE-recommended care processes in eligible patients. | 10 |
| Heart failure | HF009 covers four-pillar therapy for eligible people with HFrEF, where clinically appropriate. | 12 |
| Obesity | OB004 supports weight-management referral; OB005 covers shared decision-making and eligible pharmacotherapy pathways. | 5 and 13 |
| Vaccinations | VI001, VI002 and VI003 retain existing thresholds and add an improvement calculation. | Unchanged |
NHS England’s QOF guidance combines some CHD and stroke/TIA blood-pressure measures into age-based CD001 and CD002. HYP010 and HYP011 exclude patients with moderate or severe frailty from their cohorts.
What are the new QOF indicators for diabetes, heart failure and obesity?
In NHS England’s QOF guidance, DM037 has a 35-75% threshold. It covers all eight care processes, so practices should identify gaps early.
In NHS England’s QOF guidance, HF009 is a 12-point HFrEF indicator. Treatment must remain individual, clinically appropriate and recorded.
The 2026/27 QOF changes replace the former Weight Management Enhanced Service with new obesity measures. OB004 concerns referral to weight-management programmes. OB005 covers qualifying shared decision-making and pharmacotherapy pathways.
Need Clinical Pharmacist capacity to turn QOF gaps into clinical action?
Discuss QOF clinical pharmacy supportWhat has changed for childhood vaccinations?
The GP contract changes add an improvement route for childhood-vaccination QOF indicators. At year-end, practices receive the higher allocation from existing thresholds or a sliding-scale calculation against their baseline.
For QOF 2026/27, existing thresholds remain, with another route to show uptake improvement.
What should GP practices do about QOF 2026/27?
A practical QOF 2026/27 response is year-round work, not a year-end scramble.
- Review the measures. Confirm eligible cohorts, thresholds and indicator logic.
- Validate records. Check registers, coding and clinical evidence against the current business rules.
- Find genuine gaps. Identify outstanding care processes, reviews, referrals or monitoring.
- Route follow-up safely. Give each action a named owner and escalation route.
- Monitor progress. Recheck performance and open worklists through the QOF year.
Accurate registers are a control, not a substitute for clinical judgement. Practices needing a repeatable approach to searches, record review and handover can explore QOF register management support.
How can PCNs and clinical pharmacy teams support QOF delivery?
Within the Quality and Outcomes Framework, clinical pharmacy teams can turn data into safe actions through identification, review, monitoring and clear records.
Clinical pharmacist support, medicines optimisation and safety and pharmacist-led QOF delivery can provide capacity. QOF is practice-level, but PCNs can support consistent preparation.
Expert insight from Adeem Azhar, qualified Clinical Pharmacist and CEO
The most reliable QOF delivery starts with a clear view of the cohort, a clinically appropriate route for follow-up and records that show the work completed. Pharmacy teams can help practices sustain that routine throughout the year.
Adeem Azhar, MPharm, IPres
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer – Core Prescribing Solutions
Qualified Clinical Pharmacist
FAQs
Turn the 2026/27 QOF changes into an accountable delivery plan
Core Prescribing Solutions can support GP practices and PCNs with Clinical Pharmacist and Pharmacy Technician capacity for QOF-focused medicines optimisation, patient review, register follow-through and long-term condition workflows. We can help turn identified QOF gaps into defined clinical actions, escalation and measurable handover while keeping local governance and clinical decision-making clear.
Discuss your 2026/27 QOF priorities
