Scope & Accountability
Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) are the cornerstone of the NHS, responsible for the planning and securing of health services and improving the health of the local population.
The three main functions of Primary Care Trusts are:
- Engaging with the population to improve health and wellbeing
- Commissioning a comprehensive and equitable range of high quality services, within allocated resources across all service sectors
- Directly providing high quality, responsive and efficient services where this gives best value
Local accountability is achieved via our Trust Board, which includes local clinicians, managers and lay people. NHS Oxfordshire is also accountable within the NHS to the South Central Strategic Health Authority and Oxfordshire County Council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
Key relationships and accountability of PCTs:
- To perform functions for and with the local population, in pursuit of equality, quality, responsiveness, innovation, efficiency and affordability
- To lead local health systems; and develop and deliver functions through effective partnerships, particularly practice based commissioners; and with Local Authorities and with the full range of different types of providers
- Hold providers to account through commissioning and contracting
- PCTs are accountable to the local population directly and through the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee; and to Strategic Health Authorities