(2) what directions he has given to local health trusts in respect of the spending of moneys under the alternative providers of medical services scheme.
The £250 million access fund announced by Secretary of State (Alan Johnson) on 10 October will be devolved to primary care trusts (PCTs) to enable them to develop a general practitioner (GP) led health centre each and at least 100 new GP practices across the 50 PCTs with poorest provision. It will be for PCTs to design these services so that they reflect local health need and health care strategies.
During 2008-09 primary care trusts (PCTs) will undertake open and transparent procurements for new general practitioner (GP) practices and GP-led health centres. Every PCT in the country will procure on new health centre, however, only those 50 PCTs that have been identified as having the poorest provision will procure new GP practices. A table of these PCTs is shown as follows. The precise geographical locations of these services will be determined locally by PCTs based on their local needs assessment.
Rank PCT SHA 1 Manchester PCT North West SHA 2 Barking and Dagenham PCT London SHA 3 Knowsley PCT North West SHA 4 Sandwell PCT West Midlands SHA 5 Wolverhampton City PCT West Midlands SHA 6 Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT North West SHA 7 Liverpool PCT North West SHA- 8 Sunderland Teaching PCT North East SHA 9 Birmingham East and North PCT West Midlands SHA 10 Halton and St. Helens PCT North West SHA 11 Heart of Birmingham Teaching PCT West Midlands SHA 12 Barnsley PCT Yorkshire and The Humber SHA 13 Leicester City PCT East Midlands SHA 14 Oldham PCT North West SHA 15 Blackburn with Darwen PCT North West SHA 16 Stoke on Trent PCT West Midlands SHA 17 Hounslow PCT London SHA 18 Hull PCT Yorkshire and The Humber SHA 19 Nottingham City PCT East Midlands SHA 20 Blackpool PCT North West SHA 21 Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT North West SHA 22 Dudley PCT West Midlands SHA 23 Bolton PCT North West SHA 24 Greenwich Teaching PCT London SHA 25 Sefton PCT North West SHA 26 Medway Teaching PCT South East Coast SHA 27 Salford PCT North West SHA 28 Hartlepool PCT North East SHA 29 Tameside and Glossop PCT North West SHA 30 Walsall Teaching PCT West Midlands SHA 31 Newcastle PCT North East SHA 32 Redcar and Cleveland PCT North East SHA 33 South Tyneside PCT North East SHA 34 Calderdale PCT Yorkshire and The Humber SHA 35 North Lancashire PCT North West SHA 36 Luton Teaching PCT East of England SHA 37 Havering PCT London SHA 38 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT London SHA 39 Rotherham PCT Yorkshire and The Humber SHA 40 Enfield PCT London SHA 41 Bury PCT North West SHA 42 South Birmingham PCT West Midlands SHA 43 Telford and Wrekin PCT West Midlands SHA 44 Newham PCT London SHA 45 Gateshead PCT North East SHA 46 Coventry Teaching PCT West Midlands SHA 47 Bristol PCT South West SHA 48 North Somerset PCT South West SHA 49 Middlesbrough PCT North East SHA 50 East Lancashire PCT North West SHA
This is not a matter for the Department. It is for primary care trusts to engage appropriately with patient and public groups, clinicians and the local health authority on all aspects of service planning, including the development and consideration of service changes and decisions that affect service operation.
Decisions on the form of consultation process to adopt, who to consult and the time allowed for this process will be made by each primary care trust and will need to be considered in light of all relevant factors, including any consultation already conducted or underway.