NHS primary care trust

Primary care trusts (PCTs) were part of the National Health Service in England from 2001 to 2013.

PCTs were largely administrative bodies, responsible for commissioning primary, community and secondary health services from providers.

In April 1999 they established 481 primary care groups in England "thereby universalising fundholding while repudiating the concept.

Other board members included the chair of the trust's professional executive committee (PEC) (elected from local general practitioners, community nurses, pharmacists, dentists etc.).

In 2005 the government announced that the number of strategic health authorities and primary care trusts would be reduced, the latter by about 50 per cent.

After these changes, about 70 per cent of PCTs were coterminous with local authorities having social service responsibilities, which facilitated joint planning.