The Department of Health does not determine how PCTs spend their money. It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) to decide their priorities for investment locally, taking into account their local circumstances and priorities as set out in the NHS Operating Framework.
However, the Department’s Directors of NHS Performance and Adult Social Care Performance recently wrote to Strategic Health Authority Directors of Performance asking them to identify those PCTs that have agreed with their local authority to prioritise carers’ support for the current year and those that are likely to prioritise it for the next year. The information will help ensure we have a rounded picture when considering the priority afforded carers in future planning rounds. I am placing a copy of the letter in the Library in the House.