Family doctors exceeded all expectations in achieving the quality outcomes laid down in their new contract but have created a financial headache for hard pressed primary care trusts in the process.

New health department figures show that almost all England's 8542 practices took part in the first year of the Quality and Outcomes Framework, a funding arrangement that rewards practices for providing quality care. On average they achieved 959 (91%) of the 1050 points offered for meeting a range of clinical and organisational standards.

Under the new …