The Department of Health has told primary care trusts to make an additional £1.1m of payments to GPs by the end of June, to correct an error dating back to 2004.

In February 2011, the DH reported that an error in its system for calculating payments to GPs under the quality and outcomes framework had led to average underpayments of £3,400 per practice, over seven years.

It issued PCTs with instructions to make extra payments of £27.9m in 2010-11, providing them with additional resources to do so.

However, at the time, data on GPs’ performance against the bonus scheme in 2010-11 was not available, meaning a part of the additional payments was based on DH estimates.

The department has now calculated its final figures for the 2010-11 underpayments, and issued PCTs with directions to make another £1.1m of payments.

No additional funds will be provided to commissioners to make these payments.

However, the department said there had been separate overpayments to GPs under the framework.

Reclaiming these would more than recoup the costs of the underpayments, leaving PCTs a net £1.1m better off.

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