CQRS Glossary

The Alternative Provider Medical Services (APMS) contract is a form of core GP contract and provides services beyond core general practice services. It allows for contracts with GP practices and PCNs or with private and third-party organisations. Find out more about this contract.

The British Medical Association (BMA) is the trade union and professional body for doctors in the UK.

The British Medical Association General Practitioners Committee negotiates the GMS contract annually with NHS England.

NHS Commissioners are typical Integrated Care Boards who work closely with partners across a local population to determine key priorities and to specify, procure and evaluate delivery against agreed outcomes.

A Commissioning Support Unit (CSU) is an NHS organisation that provides specialist external support to local, regional, and national NHS organisations.

CQRS is a web-based portal that enables providers and commissioners to manage local claims online. It streamlines the process of provider claims against local schemes, reduces administrative time, and ensures claims are visible within a secure platform.

Users of CQRS Local can access e-learning modules through the online CQRS Academy.

A web-based tool that facilitates payments in support of the GP contract.

A web-based tool that facilitates payments in support of locally enhanced schemes (LES) and local incentive schemes (LIS) which supplement core services offered by GP practices.

Direct Enhanced Services (DES) are nationally agreed, optional services GP practices can deliver in return for additional payments.

The General Medical Services (GMS) contract is the national standard General Practice (GP) contract to deliver a range of ‘core’ healthcare services as part of the NHS. Find out more about this contract.

Every GP practice or partnership of GP’s must hold a GP contract to run an NHS commissioned general practice. It sets out the mandatory requirements and services for general practices.

The General Practice Extraction Service (GPES) is a data extraction service that is operated by NHS Digital.

The GP Workload Tool helps to ensure GPs have a balanced workload by measuring access and activity within a GP practice.

Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) are NHS organisations responsible for planning and commissioning health services to meet the needs of local populations.

Local Enhanced Schemes (LES) are services outside of the national GP contract. They are governed by the GP practices core PMS contract.

Local Incentive Schemes (LIS) are services outside of the national GP contract. They are developed by local commissioners to provide a wide range of supplementary primary medical services to meet local population needs.

NHS Digital is the national information and technology partner to the health and social care system.

NHS England leads the NHS in England to deliver high quality services. They are responsible for running national IT systems which support health and social care and collect, analyse, publish and disseminate healthcare data.

Primary Care Networks (PCNs) are groups of GP practices who work closely together, working collaboratively with commissioners and providers to integrate health and care services locally.

The Personal Medical Services (PMS) contract is a form of core GP contract which is subject to local variations. It is negotiated and agreed locally by the commissioner with a GP practice or practices. Find out more about this contract.

NHS Providers are typically GP practices and Primary Care Networks, but can also be private and third-party organisations, who directly deliver NHS services to a local population.

The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) is an incentive programme for GP practices in England. It forms part of the GMS GP contract.

The Quality Management and Analysis System (QMAS) was a national data collection and analysis system developed for the new GMS contract. It was replaced by CQRS in July 2013.

Vaccination and Immunisation (V&I) Enhanced Services is an enhanced service which forms part of the GP contract.