The Coalition Government announced a number of reforms to the NHS in its White Paper, Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS, which was published in July 2010. As part of these reforms, primary care trusts (PCTs) would be abolished and the majority of their functions would be passed to clinical commissioning groups.
National guidance
In January 2011, Sir David Nicholson, the chief executive of the NHS, announced the establishment of PCT clusters. This was designed to maintain and promote capacity and capability within PCTs during the transition to clinical commissioning groups.
Each PCT will retain its local accountability for delivering its annual operating plan, but will share an executive team.
NHS Sussex
The four PCTs in Sussex are operating on a cluster arrangement as NHS Sussex. They are:
- NHS West Sussex
- NHS Hastings and Rother
- NHS East Sussex Downs and Weald
- NHS Brighton and Hove
For more information visit the NHS Sussex website.
Chief Executive
Amanda Fadero, formerly Chief Executive of NHS Brighton and Hove, was appointed as the Chief Executive of NHS Sussex, to lead PCTs, and support the development of clinical commissioning across Sussex.
NHS reforms - press release archive:
Local NHS leaders step up to challenge of reform - 1 February 2011
Changes to the NHS - 14 July 2010
