Quality standard

Quality statement 1: Identification

Quality statement 1: Identification

Quality statement

Adults with multimorbidity are identified by their GP practice.

Rationale

Identifying all adults with multimorbidity is the first step towards finding those who may benefit from an approach to care that takes account of multimorbidity. Multimorbidity is often associated with reduced quality of life, higher mortality, polypharmacy and high treatment burden, higher rates of adverse drug events, and much greater health services use. Some people with multimorbidity have conditions that significantly affect their everyday functioning. Some people find that managing their care is burdensome and involves a number of services working in an uncoordinated way.

Quality measures

The following measures can be used to assess the quality of care or service provision specified in the statement. They are examples of how the statement can be measured, and can be adapted and used flexibly.

Structure

Evidence that GP practices identify all adults with multimorbidity.

Data source: Local data collection from service protocols.

Process

Proportion of adults with multimorbidity identified by the GP practice.

Numerator – the number in the denominator identified as having multimorbidity by the GP practice.

Denominator – the number of adults registered with the GP practice.

Data source: GP practice health records.

Outcome

Number of adults with multimorbidity identified by the GP practice who may benefit from an approach to care that takes account of multimorbidity.

Data source: GP practice health records.

What the quality statement means for different audiences

Service providers (GP practices) ensure that systems are in place to identify all adults with multimorbidity. Identification may be opportunistic during routine care or involve a systematic search of electronic health records.

Healthcare practitioners (such as GPs, practice nurses and practice managers) identify adults with multimorbidity proactively using health records and opportunistically during routine care. They record this information in health records.

Commissioners (NHS England) ensure that GP practices identify all adults with multimorbidity and have monitoring arrangements that show this is being done.

Adults with more than 1 long-term health condition, including a physical condition, are identified by their GP practice. The practice may do this by looking at health records or having discussions about health problems during routine appointments.

Definitions of terms used in this quality statement

Adults with multimorbidity

Adults with multimorbidity have 2 or more long-term health conditions where at least 1 of these conditions must be a physical health condition.

Long-term health conditions can include:

  • defined physical and mental health conditions such as diabetes or schizophrenia

  • ongoing conditions such as learning disability

  • symptom complexes such as frailty or chronic pain

  • sensory impairment such as sight or hearing loss

  • alcohol and substance misuse.

People who have multiple mental health problems and no physical health conditions are not included because their care will be largely delivered by psychiatric services. [Adapted from NICE's guideline on multimorbidity, recommendation 1.1.1 and full guideline]

Identifying adults with multimorbidity

GP practices can identify adults with multimorbidity:

  • opportunistically during routine care

  • proactively using electronic health records.

[NICE's guideline on multimorbidity, recommendation 1.3.1]