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Calculating Quality Reporting Service (CQRS)

CQRS stands for Calculating Quality Reporting Service. It is an essential tool for GP practices to track, monitor, and declare achievement for key NHS payment schemes, including:

  • The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF)
  • Direct Enhanced Services (DES)
  • Vaccination and Immunisation (V&I) Programmes

By ensuring accurate data capture, CQRS helps GP practices receive the correct income for the services they provide.

How Does CQRS Work?

CQRS extracts data from GP clinical systems using the General Practice Extraction Service (GPES). However, CQRS only receives data from GPES when a practice is participating in a Quality Service, such as QOF or a DES. GPES transmits only aggregate data, meaning no patient-identifiable information is shared.

Is CQRS Secure?

Yes. Access to CQRS is restricted to NHS users via the N3 network, ensuring that only authorized NHS staff can use the system. Additionally, CQRS does not require patient-level data to calculate practice achievements.

Getting Started with CQRS

How Do I Register?

To use CQRS, a practice must register its users.

  • NHS England’s Advanced User Administrators can create new users and assign or revoke roles for GP practices.
  • If your practice does not have a User Administrator, contact NHS England to request an activation link.
  • Users must complete their registration within 14 days of receiving the email.

Adding Users to CQRS

Once registered, GP-level users can create and manage additional users within their practice:

  1. Go to the ‘Administrative Tasks’ tab.
  2. Click ‘Add New User’.
  3. Enter the new user’s NHS email address (@nhs.net or @nhs.uk) and click ‘Continue’.
  4. Fill in the required details (First Name, Last Name, Work Phone).
  5. Select the practice and assign appropriate roles, ensuring minimal access rights necessary for the user’s function.
  6. Click ‘Submit’ to finalize the process.

⚠️ Important: All users must have an NHS email address to be added to CQRS.

 Best Practices for Using CQRS

Top Tips for Practices

✔ Understand which services your practice is claiming for – QOF, DES, and the Vaccination & Immunisation programme.
✔ Ensure clinical staff, coders, and data entry clerks use the correct read codes – These are essential for accurate data extraction and payments.
✔ Check who in your practice is responsible for CQRS submissions and payment claims – This varies between practices.
✔ Regularly review coding updates – Read codes may change, so periodic checks are essential to avoid errors.

What Happens If Incorrect Codes Are Used?

Using the wrong codes can result in reduced or lost income for the practice. Since many CQRS payments are based on automated data extraction, coding errors can lead to missed payments.

CQRS Training and Support

Is Training Available?

Yes. CQRS provides several resources to help users navigate the system:

  • Built-in Help Button – Available on the CQRS dashboard.
  • Online Training Modules – A short NHS Digital Learning Management System (LMS) course is available (N3 connection required).
  • User Guides and Timetables – Covering payment schedules, data extractions, and manual entry processes.

For further assistance, contact the CQRS Help Desk (details below).

Understanding CQRS Data Collection

CQRS collects data for various Quality Services, either:

✅ Automatically via GPES (General Practice Extraction Service)
✅ Manually entered by the practice (if data is unavailable in clinical systems)

For a full breakdown of which services are extracted automatically and which require manual input, visit:
🔗 General Practice GP Collections Service Information

To view the latest CQRS timetable:

  1. Log in to CQRS
  2. Click the menu on the left
  3. Select ‘Timetable’

Changes to Manual Data Entry on CQRS

For some Quality Services, certain data must be manually entered, such as:

  • Data not recorded in clinical systems.
  • Updates to previously submitted manual data.

Since 2016/17, further restrictions on manual data entry have been introduced to strengthen automated data collection.

For full details, see the Manual Data Entry User Guide:
🔗 GP Collections User Support and Training

CQRS Help Desk and Support

📞 Telephone: 0800 440 2777 (Freephone)
✉️ Email: support@cqrs.co.uk
🕗 Hours: Monday – Friday, 08:00 – 18:00 (excluding public holidays)

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