Image of a Light Bulb
Jan 31 2024

Quality and Outcomes Framework: ARE YOU WHERE YOU NEED TO BE?

By Shelley Hawkins, Business Development Manager

With increasing pressures for practices to meet targets, objectives and reach long term goals, this part of the financial calendar is the time many are reviewing those actionable objectives they’ve been working towards.

Pressures of getting it right and meeting these targets come under strain as the population of England rapidly changes, with demographic cohorts becoming wider, denser, and harder to engage.

Challenged with reaching QOF targets to help fund the quality of healthcare, practices are working towards ensuring they can reach the optimum level of points for the services they deliver. This not only provides an indication of the quality of healthcare received but also helps generate funds for the new financial year.

 

THE QUALITY AND OUTCOMES FRAMEWORK

The quality and outcomes framework (QOF) is a voluntary annual reward incentive programme for all GP practices in England. The framework focuses on 5 key components also known as domains, that have targeted actions, that are measured by a points indicator.

This asks the question, are you where you need to be in relation to meeting your QOF targets this year?

 

THE CHALLENGE: ENGAGING PATIENTS

With QOF targets increasing year on year, the challenge of meeting these effectively and efficiently changes with each approach.

It is likely that your practice has measurable targets for you to reach in relation to each indicator that forms the QOF objective. These include:

You may have different approaches to achieve these successfully, but reaching these targets is about getting your patients on your side, informed and engaged.

Therefore, a key element of a successful QOF campaign is the use of effective communication to drive the engagement and the response required to get patients into practice.

With every patient responding to different forms of communication differently, patient preference is the first point of call to drive this engagement. As we see the NHS move towards a digital focus, text messages and phone calls are often used for contacting patients and getting them to attend appointments. These are inexpensive options for communicating and provide a direct line to the patient, helping encourage practice uptake in line with the NHS Long Term Plan.

However, these forms of communication are often not always enough. These media channels are often ignored, blend into the digital digest of everyday lives and are unsuccessful when trying to reach those more vulnerable patients. This results in practices seeking other means of driving engagement as they approach the end of the financial year, so have you considered print?

ACHIEVING RESULTS WITH LETTERS: THE POWER OF PRINT

Whilst print is often considered an expensive form of communication, the results outweigh the price. Research shows that it delivers the right impacts to engage different patient cohorts including those who are harder to reach, helping achieve the desired outcome with less resource required.

By using patient centered personalised letters practices benefit from improved channel engagement by delivering communications that elicit a response. The power of print, or the power of the letter, helps NHS organisations drive engagement through a tangible, recognisable communication method that symbolises importance and evokes trust.

A letter provides the ability to include in-detailed information, enclose additional leaflets, signpost patients to online channels and acts as a patient reminder that is portable or can be pinned on the fridge.

Research by Market Reach shows that:

 

 NHS Mail

100% of NHS mail is read

 

 NHS Mail

79% of NHS mail lives in the home more than 28 days

 

 NHS Mail

49% of NHS mail is discussed with someone

The sending of a letter therefore can become the difference between a patient attending an appointment and them not attending.

SENDING LETTER VIA HYBRID MAIL

Hybrid mail solutions provide NHS organisations the ability to drive engagement with patients by sending postal communications straight from their desktop, PC, clinical system or device. This eradicates the in-house processes of sending and managing patient postal communications. It transforms the process, whilst driving efficiencies and helping deliver real outcomes.

It’s like having your very own print and mail factory, but with the addition of knowing that you have built in security, GDPR compliance and time and money savings.

Approved hybrid mail suppliers are found on frameworks such as NHS SBS and are supporting medical practices, NHS Trusts, ICBs and the alike across England to drive patient engagement, decrease DNAs and meet practice targets.

Hybrid mail providers experience an increase of practices utilising their services at the end of the financial year, as the time to achieve QOF targets come to an end. With hybrid mail suppliers dominating the market, how do you know what hybrid mail supplier to use?

WORKING WITH US: DOCMAIL HYBRID MAIL

With SystemOne and EMIS clinical system compatibility our hybrid mail system Docmail, supports the management and sending of postal communications. It offers complete postal communication flexibility with no minimum or maximum quantities, to allow medical practices to drive engagement with patient cohorts at the first instance or the last. We have most advanced print driver on the market, allowing practices to print from the patient record, providing complete ease of use and a solution that continuously meets your communication requirements.

With ISO 27001 and 9001, Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus, Data Security and Information Toolkit Standards Exceeded for over 10 years and approved suppliers on a number of frameworks including the NHS SBS, you know you are partnering with someone you can trust.

Whether your practice is looking to engage with patients on the first try or looking to engage with those who have not responded to other forms of communication, the solution works with you to drive responses and help you meet your targets.

For more information on Docmail and how it can support you visit here.

Related Content...

The Benefits Of Hybrid Mail For Housing Associations
Sept 03 2024

The Benefits Of Hybrid Mail For Housing Associations

Blogs, Hybrid Mail, Docmail, Housing
Mastering Mail Branding With Closed Face Envelopes
Aug 16 2024

Mastering Mail Branding With Closed Face Envelopes

Blogs, Hybrid Mail, Docmail
CFH Docmail & The Health Industry
Aug 05 2024

CFH Docmail & The Health Industry

Communications, Blogs, Health
Jul 25 2024

Electricity Asset Services Case Study

Fife-based Electricity Asset Services, specializing in electrical and civil engineering, employs CFH's Docmail system for improved communication with Scottish Power and staff.

CFH Docmail, Hybrid Mail, Docmail, Private Sector
A Guide To Economy Access Postal Delivery
Jul 16 2024

A Guide To Economy Access Postal Delivery

Communications, Docmail, Blogs
CFH Announce Exclusive Economy Access Postal Option
Jul 01 2024

CFH Announce Exclusive Economy Access Postal Option

News, Communications, Docmail
A Guide To Print and Post Services
Jun 06 2024

A Guide To Print and Post Services

Blogs, Hybrid Mail, Docmail
The Benefits Of Print And Post Services For An SME
May 29 2024

The Benefits Of Print And Post Services For An SME

Blogs, Hybrid Mail, Docmail, Private Sector
Docmail 2024: Another Successful Year
Apr 19 2024

Docmail 2024: Another Successful Year

News, Hybrid Mail, Docmail
How To Send a Letter Online
Apr 08 2024

How To Send a Letter Online

Blogs, Hybrid mail, Docmail
How to craft the 'perfect letter': A complete guide
Feb 29 2024

How to craft the 'perfect letter': A complete guide

Blogs, Hybrid mail, Docmail, Communications
Data Security and Protection Toolkit – Standards Exceeded Achievement
Dec 15 2023

Data Security and Protection Toolkit – Standards Exceeded Achievement

News, Public Sector, Communications
CFH Docmail Ltd named on Crown Commercial Service Framework
Nov 13 2023

CFH Docmail Ltd named on Crown Commercial Service Framework

News, Public Sector, Communications, Hybrid communications, Hybrid Mail
Your Guide to Hybrid Mail – How It Works
Oct 25 2023

Your Guide to Hybrid Mail – How It Works

Blogs, Hybrid mail, Docmail
What Is A Franking Machine And Why Are Businesses Moving Away From Them?
Oct 17 2023

What Is A Franking Machine And Why Are Businesses Moving Away From Them?

Hybrid Mail, Blogs, Docmail
Jul 05 2023

NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB

Docmail, saving valuable time and money while supporting the NHS Long Term Plan, across 110 surgeries and a combined 1 million patient cohort.

Public Sector, Hybrid communications, Docmail, Health
Docmail Customer Service Survey 2023
Jul 03 2023

Docmail Customer Service Survey 2023

News, Hybrid mail, Docmail
Say hello to the new Docmail Help Centre
Jul 03 2023

Say hello to the new Docmail Help Centre

News, Hybrid mail, Docmail
What is the impact of NHS mail on patients?
Jun 08 2023

What is the impact of NHS mail on patients?

Blogs, Hybrid mail, Docmail
How To Use Hybrid Mail Services To Streamline Communications Costs
Jan 17 2023

How To Use Hybrid Mail Services To Streamline Communications Costs

Blogs, Hybrid mail, Docmail
5 Ways To Use Outsourced Hybrid Mailings To Boost Customer Communications
Jan 13 2023

5 Ways To Use Outsourced Hybrid Mailings To Boost Customer Communications

Blogs, Hybrid mail, Docmail
The Power Of Effective Communication In Retaining Customers
Dec 03 2022

The Power Of Effective Communication In Retaining Customers

Blogs, Hybrid communications, Docmail
The Power Of The Letter In The Health Sector
Dec 01 2022

The Power Of The Letter In The Health Sector

Blogs, Hybrid mail, Docmail
Hybrid Mail Vs. Direct Mail: What’s The Difference?
Nov 22 2022

Hybrid Mail Vs. Direct Mail: What’s The Difference?

Blogs, Hybrid mail, Docmail
Hybrid Mail Vs. Managed Hybrid Communications
Oct 10 2022

Hybrid Mail Vs. Managed Hybrid Communications

Blogs, Hybrid communications, Managed communications, CFH Managed, Docmail
12 Top Tips For Increasing Patient Engagement This Winter Season
Sept 02 2022

12 Top Tips For Increasing Patient Engagement This Winter Season

Blogs, Hybrid mail, Docmail
Fact Piece: 7 Interesting Facts About Docmail Hybrid Mail
Aug 15 2022

Fact Piece: 7 Interesting Facts About Docmail Hybrid Mail

Blogs, Hybrid mail, Docmail
Docmail Hybrid Mail: All About The Print Driver
Aug 04 2022

Docmail Hybrid Mail: All About The Print Driver

Blogs, Hybrid mail, Docmail
What Is Accreditation And Why Is It So Important To The Health Sector
Jul 20 2022

What Is Accreditation And Why Is It So Important To The Health Sector

Blogs, Communications
Blogs, Hybrid mail, Docmail, Health

Subscribe to receive the latest CFH insights straight to your mail box