A GP close to the heart of Tory health policy said that the quality framework may make up a smaller part of practice income and become ‘more challenging'.

Dr Paul Charlson, chairman of the Conservative Medical Society, said the QOF is ‘an area of interest' and ‘needs to be used as a tool that is more challenging'.

The quality framework currently provides about 22% of GP income, he added.

If the Tories took office, they would seek advice from an expert such as Professor Helen Lester, a part-time GP and deputy director of the National Primary Care Research and Development Centre, to review the QOF, Dr Charlson said.

GPC chairman Dr Laurence Buckman said the GPC shared the view that reducing reliance on QOF was desirable.

But shifting income away from the clinical indicators would reduce prevalence-dependent cash for practices, he warned.

‘This would affect the money going to practices in poorer areas. How would you take money out without producing a hole in GP income?' Dr Buckman said.

• Read the full story in this week's GP newspaper dated 23 April.

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