ABSTRACT
In the National General Practitioner (GP) Worklife Survey conducted by the University of Manchester in 2015, GPs cited meeting the requirements of external bodies as the second biggest stressor in their job after increasing workload. Many doctors feel the external pressures of regulatory bodies and the continual organisational changes that seem to typify life in the National Health Service (NHS) have fundamentally altered their ability to practice in the way that they wish. The Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF) evolved over time and the shifting goalposts of the annually set quality indicators left GPs feeling largely disillusioned and disengaged with a scheme that increasingly seemed to be a cynical political tool to curb GP pay. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has been criticised by doctors for creating a culture of fear with its intensive inspections being punitive rather than serving the stated purpose of driving quality improvement.
