How to: Start QOF Targets Season Strong 💪

First & foremost - congratulations on completing another QOF season! Take a bow, and a deep breath...👏 For those of you that still need time to decompress, maybe bookmark this and come back for a read in a week or so. Otherwise, we'll be diving into how to start this new 25/26 QOF year strong with best practices & advice. This blog is following on from our post on how to finish QOF season strong, we hope it helped!

The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) season is here, and for primary care practices across the UK, this is a crucial time to optimise performance, improve patient outcomes, and secure funding. A strong start can make all the difference, ensuring that your practice stays ahead of targets and avoids a last-minute rush at year-end.

Here’s how your practice can kick off QOF season the right way.

1. Understand Your QOF Targets

Before jumping into action, it’s essential to have a clear understanding of your practice’s QOF targets. The framework rewards practices for meeting specific clinical and organisational indicators, including:

• Chronic disease management (e.g., diabetes, asthma, hypertension)

• Public health indicators (e.g., smoking cessation, vaccinations, cervical screening)

• Patient access and engagement

• Medication reviews and safety measures

  
  

Action Step:

• Review your previous year’s QOF performance to identify strengths and weaknesses.

• Prioritise indicators where your practice has historically struggled.

• Align team efforts with the highest impact areas.

• Leverage data to identify metrics to improve on.

  
  

2. Leverage Technology for Patient Outreach

Automating patient outreach is a game-changer for QOF success. With digital tools, practices can efficiently engage patients, schedule follow-ups, and close care gaps with minimal administrative burden. Hippo Labs builds tools to help automate processes within primary care to provide patients with quality proactive care with minimal manual efforts from practices.

Action Step:

• Use automated messaging to remind patients about reviews, screenings, and vaccinations.

• Implement digital appointment booking to reduce barriers to care.

• Monitor patient engagement data to identify non-responders and follow up accordingly.

• Improve data quality to increase engagement by using the Hippo Labs Worklists feature.

• Learn patient communication behaviours to increase conversion

  
  

3. Engage Your Team with Clear Roles and Responsibilities

A well-prepared team is key to meeting QOF targets. Define clear roles and responsibilities within the practice to ensure tasks are completed efficiently.

Action Step:

• Assign specific QOF indicators to individual team members.

• Hold weekly check-ins to track progress and address challenges.

• Encourage training sessions on best practices for QOF-related care delivery.

• Have the admin teams, nurses, digital team onboarded onto the Hippo platform!

  
  

4. Proactively Manage High-Risk Patients

Identifying and proactively managing high-risk patients early in the year prevents a backlog of urgent cases later.

Action Step:

• Use patient stratification to prioritise those needing urgent follow-ups.

• Schedule long-term condition reviews in advance.

• Collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams to ensure comprehensive care.

  
  

5. Keep Patients Informed and Engaged

Patient engagement is critical to achieving QOF targets. The more patients understand the importance of screenings and chronic disease management, the more likely they are to participate.

Action Step:

• Use digital and print materials to educate patients about QOF-related care.

• Train reception staff to explain the importance of health checks and encourage participation.

• Run targeted campaigns for specific groups (e.g., flu vaccinations for at-risk patients).

  
  

6. Monitor and Adapt with Real-Time Data

Tracking progress throughout the year allows your practice to adjust its approach and address shortfalls before it’s too late.

Action Step:

• Regularly review QOF dashboards to monitor performance. Hippo will provide you with your real-time data!

• Identify areas where intervention is needed and take corrective action.

• Celebrate small wins to keep the team motivated.

  
  

7. Prepare for the End-of-Year Push

A strong start reduces the pressure at the end of the year, but having a year-end plan is still important.

Action Step:

• Schedule final QOF reviews well before the deadline.

• Ensure accurate and complete documentation to avoid lost points.

• Have a contingency plan to manage last-minute patient appointments.

  
  

Conclusion

Starting the QOF season strong sets your practice up for success, improving patient outcomes and maximising financial incentives. By leveraging technology like Hippo Labs, engaging staff, and proactively managing patients, you can ensure a smooth and efficient QOF cycle.

Hippo Labs is here to help you navigate QOF season with innovative automation and data-driven insights. Get in touch to learn how our solutions can support your practice’s success!