Who's Caring for Me?

Abstract

Much of the overall responsibility for primary care has shifted from the individual patient's general practitioner to ‘her’ Primary Care Trust (PCT). PCTs play a pivotal role both in relation to the provision of primary care in the community and arranging secondary care in hospitals. In so doing, PCTs ‘choose’ from a broad spectrum of ‘providers’ in the public and private sectors. Patients in need of surgery may find themselves admitted not to their local NHS hospital, but to a private clinic, or even a hospital abroad. Does ‘their’ PCT owe them a duty of care and does it matter?