'Star ratings' for doctors

GPs could be awarded star ratings to show the quality of care they offer, under a new voluntary scheme.

The new scheme, which is being drawn up by the Royal College of General Practitioners, could be introduced next April.

The scheme would see surgeries receive a rating between one and three by panels featuring doctors, nurses and patients representatives.

GPs will be judged on a number of basic standards, including opening times, but in order to receive the top grade they will also have to provide a range of additional services.

The proposal comes after substantial rises in GPs salaries in recent years.

The government has already expressed an interest in introducing an assessment scheme for GPs, but a Department of Health spokesperson said that they had not yet decided on what form such as scheme would take. The spokesperson said that talk of government involvement in the Royal College of GPs scheme was "very premature".

Commenting on the proposal, Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of the BMA's GPs Committee said that the proposed system was "a bit like reinventing the wheel". He said: “We already have a brand new quality rating system in general practice. It is called the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) and was introduced in April 2004 as part of the new GP contract.

“Rather than being a crude measure of three levels as proposed today, the QOF covers not only clinical quality but the way a practice is run and responsiveness to patients. Practice scores are in the public domain and I am proud to say the average score for UK practices was well over 90%. We already have a valid and reliable measure to show the public what sort of service they are getting from their family doctor practice."

He added: “The government has recently abandoned the crude star rating system for hospitals because it didn’t work. It seems very strange they are now considering such a scheme for GP surgeries.”

(KMcA/GB)