A developmental performance framework for primary care

Primary care in the NHS changed substantially during the 1990s. In recent years, structural changes, most notably the introduction of primary care groups as an administrative centre for planning, have added impetus to the need for adopting meaningful measures of quality of the primary care service. This qualitative study reports the views of a sample of general practitioners, primary care nurses, and practice managers on the development and refinement of current performance indicators. Seven themes were identified as key areas for development of indicators of performance: patient experience, clinical activity, service development and innovation, access, health promotion, cost effectiveness, and quality of life outcomes. These themes are incorporated into a dynamic framework for development where improved outcomes (including quality of life measures) are seen as central to the evaluation of quality, and inter-professional collaboration in the delivery and evaluation of quality of the new primary care is called for.