The development means the NHS IC has now agreed arrangements with four out of five of the main GP system providers, which will safeguard continued delivery of information from GP practices supported by these system suppliers for the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF).

Before Christmas, the NHS IC signed contracts with major information technology companies Atos and EMIS to supply technical support for GPES (General Practice Extraction Service).

Atos was appointed to supply the software system that will produce the queries required to extract specified data from the range of GP practice systems across England.

EMIS became the first GP clinical systems supplier to sign up to develop the software needed to safely extract and communicate data from the practices that have their systems to the NHS IC.

Now a further three GP clinical systems suppliers – Microtest, iSoft and In Practice - have followed suit. Discussions are on-going with TPP as the only GP clinical systems supplier yet to sign up to provide future data requirements to the NHS IC.

Chief executive of the NHS Information Centre Tim Straughan said: “GPES will offer an unprecedented, standardised picture of primary care information across England, while protecting patient confidentiality through robust information governance principles and minimising administrative burdens for GPs and practice staff. “We are delighted that we now have nearly all contracts with GP system suppliers in place, allowing us to begin implementation of the planned new system for supporting GP practice payments through the new Calculating Quality Reporting Service (CQRS) in April 2013. We hope that TPP will be able to shortly enter into a similar agreement with the NHS IC so that they are also able to assure practices using their systems that they will be able to support delivery on QOF and to other commitments that GPES will support.” .

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. The NHS Information Centre is England's authoritative, independent source of health and social care information. It works with a wide range of health and social care providers nationwide to provide the facts and figures that help the NHS and social services run effectively. Its role is to collect data, analyse it and convert it into useful information which helps providers improve their services and supports academics, researchers, regulators and policymakers in their work. The NHS Information Centre also produces a wide range of statistical publications each year across a number of areas including: primary care, health and lifestyles, screening, hospital care, population and geography, social care and workforce and pay statistics.
2. The NHS Information Centre's General Practice Extraction Service (GPES) will provide a standardised picture of primary care information across England, while protecting patient confidentiality and minimising administrative burdens for practice staff. The service will be operational from September 2012 and its first major deliverable will be to extract data from GP systems for QOF to CQRS in April 2013. All requests for data extractions will need the approval of an independent advisory group which will include GP and patient representatives. Data extractions will only take place if they adhere to strict information governance rules that have been approved by the National Information Governance Board, the medical ethics committee of the British Medical Association and the Royal College of General Practitioners.
3. More information about GPES is at: www.ic.nhs.uk/gpes
4. For media enquiries call 0845 257 6990 or contact mediaenquiries@ic.nhs.uk