Primary Care Trust boards
Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) are the cornerstone of the local NHS with a responsibility to improve the health of their local community.
They work closely with patients, service users, carers, GPs, other health professionals and local healthcare providers to assess local health needs and then to develop or commission suitable services.
A PCT board generally consists of:
- a non-executive chair (appointed by the Appointments Commission);
- at least five non-executive members (appointed by the Appointments Commission);
- at least five executive members, including the chief executive, finance director and director of public health;
- at least two members from the PCT’s Professional Executive Committee (PEC).
Clinical expertise is provided by the PEC with representation from local GPs, nurses and other health professionals and social services. The board concentrates on the overall strategies for the trust and making sure that it meets its statutory, financial and legal responsibilities.
PCTs receive most of their budget directly from the Department of Health and use this to purchase hospital and other services from NHS Ttrusts and other healthcare providers.
They are also responsible for making payments to independent primary care contractors such as GPs and dentists.