A series of annual checks to monitor and improve the health of people with diabetes are among measures proposed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for its latest Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) indicator menu.
For the latest QOF menu, NICE proposes a bundled indicator of eight checks for people with diabetes. NICE recommends that people with diabetes should receive annual health checks to monitor and manage their condition, as well as reduce the risk of complications associated with the condition, such as heart disease and amputations.
However, NHS figures suggest less than 10% of people are currently being offered the full series of recommended tests in some areas of England.
The latest NICE QOF menu also includes three new indicators to support high quality care for people with newly diagnosed hypertension. NICE believes it is important to assess target organ damage, as this can alert GPs to possible secondary causes of hypertension, some of which can be potentially life-threatening. The indicators for target organ damage measure the ratio of urinary albumin to creatinine, testing for haematuria, and a record of ECG.
NICE has also updated the atrial fibrillation QOF indicators to reflect updated guidance on the condition.
