Bedfordshire Heartlands Primary Care Trust

Description

NHS Bedfordshire is responsible for commissioning all health services for more than 420000 people who live in the county

We were established as Bedfordshire Primary Care Trust PCT in October 2006 and cover the area formerly served by Bedford PCT and Bedfordshire Heartlands PCT We are now known as NHS Bedfordshire which more fully reflects what we do and our role as the leader of the NHS in Bedfordshire

We manage an annual budget of more than pound585 million all NHS money spent on healthcare for the people of Bedfordshire We use this to assess needs plan services fund care deliver patient satisfaction and assure quality This includes the quality of care provided by GPs nurses therapists dentists optometrists pharmacists and other health professionals working in the community

We also have responsibility for initiatives aimed at preventing ill health including the stop smoking programme childhood immunisations and influenza vaccinations

Our overall aim is to secure a real improvement in the health of local people We achieve this partly through partnership with primary care professionals other NHS organisations and with local authority colleagues independent providers and voluntary organisations