QOF Aspiration Payments 2008

The negotiated agreement is that aspiration payments should be increased to 70% to deal with cash-flow issues arising from the extension to the deadline for achievement payments until the end of June.  However the increased aspiration payments cannot legally be paid until the Statement of Financial Entitlements has been amended accordingly.  When the SFE is amended, QMAS will increase aspiration payments to 70% and will calculate arrears of aspiration payments for the period of the 08/09 financial year prior to the new SFE coming into force. 

The DoH wrote to all PCTs in the week commencing 21st April 2008 to clarify that aspiration payments will automatically be amended by QMAS once the revised SFE has been finalised and that PCTs should not increase these payments manually as there will be a one-off national catch-up which cannot take account of these. 

This means that practices will have to wait until this is completed to receive their full aspiration payments due.  The GPC will do all they can to ensure the SFE is signed off ASAP.

SDW