Following the introduction of the new General Medical Services contract on 1st April 2004, there are 3 main streams of general practices funding: the global sum (to cover practice running costs), quality rewards (Quality & Outcomes Framework) and enhanced service payments.  Two of these funding streams are introduced below.  Additional streams are available for Information Management & Technology, premises, dispensing and the Minimum Practice Income Guarantee (MPIG).

A workload formula is used to allocate the global sum to general practices on the basis of the practice population, weighted for factors that influence relative needs and costs.  Details can be found on the GP contract web pages at the link below:

The Quality & Outcomes Framework measures general practice achievement against a range of evidence-based indicators, with points and payments awarded according to the level of achievement.  The indicators span four domains: clinical, organisational, patient experience and additional services.  Detailed information on the Quality & Outcomes Framework and achievement data can be found on the Quality & Outcomes Framework web pages. Also available are prevalence rates for a variety of diseases and conditions at general practice level. Details can be found at the link below.

Prescribing resources are currently allocated to HSS Boards partly on the basis of a weighted capitation based formula.  Details of the formula can be found at http://www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/report_eqia_final.pdf  (PDF 270 KB)