FAMILY doctors in Suffolk are providing some of the highest levels of care in the country, new figures reveal today.Under a government scheme, designed to give financial rewards to the highest performing practices, the county's GPs have achieved above average scores.

FAMILY doctors in Suffolk are providing some of the highest levels of care in the country, new figures reveal today.

Under a government scheme, designed to give financial rewards to the highest performing practices, the county's GPs have achieved above average scores.

The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) marks GPs out of 1050, depending on how well they perform in a range of areas, including record keeping, managing long term condition and overall patient experience.

Nationally, practices achieved an average 96 per cent of the points available (1011 marks out of a possible 1050) but GPs surgeries in Suffolk performed much better than this.

In west Suffolk the average score for GP practices was 1042 points, or 99.2pc, while the 43 practices in east Suffolk scored an average of 1,034.60 points (98.5pc).

In west Suffolk nine practices scored a maximum 1050 points and a further 12 scored within 10 points of the maximum.

Sue Hayter, of the former Suffolk West Primary Care Trust, said: “The payments received by the GPs in the last two years have been used to develop clinical services in the practices and ensured that there are systems in place, at practice level, to monitor a wide range of clinical conditions.”

Four practices in east Suffolk scored a maximum 1,050 points and a further 16 scored within 10 points of the maximum.

A spokesman for the former Suffolk East PCT said: “These results show that patients registered with GP practices in east Suffolk are receiving an excellent service above the national average which is a tribute to the professionalism, commitment and dedication of not only GPs but their staff too.”

Practices that scored above 96pc will now receive more than £125,000, much of which will be ploughed back into NHS GP services, such as extra practice nurses and vital equipment.