NHS Trust - Definition and Overview

Many services in the National Health Service in the United Kingdom are provided by NHS Trusts. There are 2 major types of Trusts: Primary Care Trusts and Hospital Trusts.

Primary Care Trusts

Primary Care Trusts are free-standing statutory bodies responsible for delivering better health care and health improvements to their local area. They started as committees or Primary Care Groups of the Health Authority, but are no longer such.

They have their own budgets and set their own priorities. They directly provide a range of community health services (such as general practitioner (GP), community and primary care services); they may commission hospital services from other NHS trusts (such as hospital trusts). They are managed by a Board (usually comprised of local "worthies"), a Professional Executive Committee elected from local GPs, community nurses, pharmacists, dentists etc., and a team of Executive Directors. Much of their agenda is determined by directives from the Strategic Health Authority (SHA) or the Department of Health.

See also

• NHS Foundation Trust