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As you will know, the arrival of Monday 1 April 2013 marked a number of important changes relevant to the NHS, including:

• the introduction of its new core structure—with the clinical commissioning groups and NHS England (formerly the NHS Commissioning Board) taking on their full functions¹
• NICE becoming a non-departmental public body, and taking on the development of guidance and quality standards in social care, as marked through its name change to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (see p.8).²

Alongside these widely reported changes, this date also signalled the introduction of the QOF guidance for 2013/14 and the implementation of NICE-recommended replacements, new indicators, and retirements.³ In this month’s issue of Guidelines in Practice, we have included summary tables of the QOF changes for 2013/14 in England, which will provide you with an easy reference guide. These summary tables can also be accessed online at: eguidelines.co.uk/eguidelinesmain/external_guidelines/qof.php

The key changes in this sixth revision to the QOF include the:

• introduction of 12 new NICE-recommended clinical indicators (including rheumatoid arthritis for the first time)
• replacement of seven indicators with six recommended by NICE that focus on blood-pressure recording, cancer, cardiovascular disease (primary prevention), depression, and smoking
• retirement of eight indicators (BP4, CHD10, CKD2, DEP1, DM2, DM10, DM22, and EP6)
• introduction of a new public health domain.

Our article series on the implementation of QOF will continue throughout 2013, starting with an article next month providing an overview of the 2013/14 changes.

Our two clinical features this month focus on asthma and Crohn’s disease: discusses the importance of checking inhaler technique, and provides detailed instructions on how to use each type of inhaler; and explores the challenges and responsibilities for primary care in the treatment of Crohn’s disease, in line with NICE Clinical Guideline 152.

Are you aware of the choices available to your patients who want to make provisions for future incapacity? If you would like to be updated on this important topic, discusses the clinician’s role in her article.

Our final feature this month has been co-authored by , who explain how achievement of NICE accreditation by the British HIV Association for its guidance production has helped the society improve its processes.

If you have any comments on this month’s content, or would like to write for Guidelines in Practice, please contact us.

References

1. NHS England website: www.england.nhs.uk (accessed 8 April 2013).
2. NICE website: www.nice.org.uk/aboutnice/whoweare/who_we_are.jsp (accessed 8 April 2013).
3. NHS Employers, General Practitioners Committee, NHS Commissioning Board. Quality and outcomes framework guidance for GMS contract 2013/14. Available at: G

Julia Morris, Editor