What is a PCT?

Primary Care is the care provided by the people you normally see when you have first have a health problem. It might be a visit to a doctor or dentist, an optician for an eye test, or just a trip to a pharmacist to buy cough mixture. NHS Walk-in Centres, and the phone line service NHS Direct, are also part of primary care. These services are managed for you by your local Primary Care Trust (PCT).

NHS Walsall works with local authorities and other agencies that provide health and social care locally to make sure that your local community's needs are being met.

PCTs are now at the centre of the NHS and will get 75% of the NHS budget. Being local organisations, they are in the best position to understand the needs of their community, so they can make sure that the organisations providing health and social care services are working effectively.

For example, your PCT must make sure there are enough services for people within their area and that these services are accessible. They must also make sure that all other health services are provided, including hospitals, dentists, opticians, mental health services, NHS Walk-In Centres, NHS Direct, patient transport (including Accident & Emergency), population screening, and pharmacies. They are also responsible for getting health and social care systems working together to the benefit of patients.

Therefore, NHS Walsall has three main duties:

·         To improve the health of local people.
·         To buy and provide health services.
·         To ensure health and social care work together to meet the needs of the local population.