GP contracts

A National Audit Office (NAO) report published today highlights the limited contribution of the 2004 introduction of GPs' contracts.

Although the NAO acknowledges the need for the contracts to boost recruitment and retention it says productivity has fallen by an average of 2.5 per cent a year since 2003.

Furthermore the performance-related-pay aspect of the scheme, known as the quality outcomes framework (QOF), has cost the government far more than was initially expected.

This time last year an overestimate of around £300 million was generally expected, but today's NAO report says the contract has cost the Department of Health £1.76 billion more than it had budgeted for.

This raises value-for-money questions about the role of GPs in Britain's healthcare system. However the report notes that while apparently working for less GPs have taken on more complex cases because practice nurses, taking on simpler work, have increased in numbers.

Whether this sways opinion on whether the contracts have succeeded – and whether its success can be measured in simple productivity terms – are up for discussion.

politics.co.uk brings you all the key quotes and reaction.