QOF Plus Year 1 - Imperial College London

QOF+ report on breastfeedingProposed IndicatorsIndicatorQOF+pointsPaymentstages+ BREASTFEEDING 1. The percentage of women who arerecorded as being pregnant on or after December 01 2008,and who at their antenatal booking appointment in primarycare have been given specific information on breastfeeding,including information on breastfeeding workshops+ BREASTFEEDING 2. The percentage of babies born on orafter December 01 2008 and breast fed at 6-8 weeks whoserecord indicates that breastfeeding support contact has beenoffered to the babies’ mother at the time of the 6-8 weekcheck+ BREASTFEEDING 3. At least 80% of babies born on or afterDecember 01 2008 have a record of feeding method at thetime of the 6-8 week check4 70-90%6 70-90%3 -BackgroundBreastfeeding is associated with a range of important health advantages and in view of this, theWorld Health Organisation recommends breastfeeding for a minimum of six months andcontinued breastfeeding up to two years of age or beyond (World Health Organisation, 2003).However, current patterns of infant feeding show that many women in the UK who commencebreastfeeding will change to formula feeding, often within the first few weeks of giving birth, andrates of exclusive breastfeeding remain low, especially amongst younger women and womenfrom low-income groups (Hamlyn et al., 2002). Inclusion of a breastfeeding indicator in QOF+ hasbeen identified as a way to address this.45