Understanding the difference between CQRS National and CQRS Local
Calculating Quality Reporting Service (CQRS) is a NHS funded programme designed to streamline the collection, management and reporting of healthcare data and payments for delivery of services in primary care. It helps to ensure healthcare providers are accountable for the quality of care they deliver and ultimately aims to improve patient care.
CQRS National vs CQRS Local
Both systems are funded by NHS England but operate at different levels and with varying scopes.
CQRS National
The CQRS National system is designed to support Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and Regions by facilitating payments to primary care providers for the delivery of NHS services.
Example NHS services include GP Contract for Directed Enhanced Services (DES), Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), and Vaccination and Immunisation (V&I) services.
It provides a standardised approach for collecting aggregated data from primary care providers, creating a comprehensive overview of healthcare performance at local, regional and national levels. Data can be automatically collected and sent to CQRS from practice clinical records systems through the General Practice Extraction Service (GPES) or it can be manually inputted.
Its use helps to ensure uniformity in reporting and accountability from primary care providers to ICBs and Regions. Reports generated through CQRS National are used to benchmark performance and inform funding decisions.
CQRS National use is mandatory and is used by all Regions, CBS and GP practices in England.
CQRS Local
In contrast, CQRS Local operates at a more local level, tailored to the specific needs of individual ICBs and local healthcare priorities, populations, or health issues. It focuses on claims relating to voluntary Locally Enhanced Schemes (LES) commissioned by ICBs. There is no limit to the number of NHS services commissioned on CQRS Local and different services can have different tariffs and be offered to different providers.
Example NHS Services include 24hr BP/ECG, ADHD Shared Care, Minor Surgery / Minor Injury, NHS Health Checks, Tirzepatide (Weight Loss), Special Allocation Scheme (SAS), Ring Pessary, Safeguarding, and many more services.
CQRS Local aims to streamline the process of provider claims against local schemes, reducing administrative time for both ICB commissioning teams and GP practices. It ensures claims are trackable within a secure web-based platform, enables prompt payment authorisation, and offers additional reporting functionality.
CQRS Local is not currently mandatory but, as a NHS-funded tool, is used by most ICBs in England.
Both systems play a crucial role in the NHS’ mission to improve healthcare quality. While CQRS National provides a high-level overview and accountability, CQRS Local ensures specific community needs are addressed.