The £150 million funding announced in the Carer's Strategy is included in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 primary care trust (PCT) revenue allocations, announced 8 December. This money will go to all PCTs and will support all carers. These resources are referred to in the NHS Operating Framework for 2009-10. A copy of the framework has been placed in the Library.
Funding is allocated to PCTs on the basis of the relative needs of their populations. A weighted capitation formula is used to determine each PCTs target share of available resources, to enable them to commission similar levels of health services for populations in similar need.
The components of the formula are used to weight each PCTs “crude” population according to their relative need (age, and additional need) for health care and the unavoidable geographical differences in the cost of providing health care (market forces factor).