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Population health needs as predictors of variations in NHS practice payments: a cross-sectional study of English general practices in 2013–2014 and 2014–2015
journal contribution
posted on 2016-10-28, 15:11 authored by Andrew D. Wilson, Louis S. Levene, Richard Baker, Nicola Walker, Kambiz Boomla, John BankartBackground NHS general practice payments in England include pay for performance elements and a weighted component designed to compensate for workload, but without measures of specific deprivation or ethnic groups.
Aim To determine whether population factors related to health needs predicted variations in NHS payments to individual general practices in England.
Design and setting Cross-sectional study of all practices in England, in financial years 2013–2014 and 2014–2015.
Method Descriptive statistics, univariable analyses (examining correlations between payment and predictors), and multivariable analyses (undertaking multivariable linear regressions for each year, with logarithms of payments as the dependent variables, and with population, practice, and performance factors as independent variables) were undertaken.
Results Several population variables predicted variations in adjusted total payments, but inconsistently. Higher payments were associated with increases in deprivation, patients of older age, African Caribbean ethnic group, and asthma prevalence. Lower payments were associated with an increase in smoking prevalence. Long-term health conditions, South Asian ethnic group, and diabetes prevalence were not predictive. The adjusted R2 values were 0.359 (2013–2014) and 0.374 (2014–2015). A slightly different set of variables predicted variations in the payment component designed to compensate for workload. Lower payments were associated with increases in deprivation, patients of older age, and diabetes prevalence. Smoking prevalence was not predictive. There was a geographical differential.
Conclusion Population factors related to health needs were, overall, poor predictors of variations in adjusted total practice payments and in the payment component designed to compensate for workload. Revising the weighting formula and extending weighting to other payment components might better support practices to address these needs.
History
Citation
British Journal of General Practice, 2017, 67(654), e10–e19.Author affiliation
/Organisation/COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND PSYCHOLOGY/School of Medicine/Department of Health SciencesVersion
- AM (Accepted Manuscript)
Published in
British Journal of General PracticePublisher
Royal College of General Practitionersissn
0960-1643eissn
1478-5242Acceptance date
2016-08-23Copyright date
2016Available date
2017-11-22Publisher DOI
Publisher version
http://bjgp.org/content/67/654/e10Notes
The file associated with this record is under embargo until 12 months after publication, in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. The full text may be available through the publisher links provided above.Language
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