Written question asked by Barry Sheerman (Labour) on Wednesday, 27 February 2002, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 13 March 2002. It was answered by Lord Hutton of Furness (Labour) on Wednesday, 13 March 2002 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average size is of the population of a primary health care trust; and what guidelines his Department has on the ideal size of a trust. - Inc figure.

Answer: Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average size is of the population of a primary health care trust; and what guidelines his Department has on the ideal size of a trust. [40066] Mr. Hutton: There is no upper or lower size limit for primary care trusts (PCTs). The size and the configuration of PCTs remains a local decision, taken in the light of local circumstances. PCT size will depend on the services it wishes to provide for its population, the views of local stakeholders, the impact on other local organisations-- including the boundary relationships with local authority partners, and whether the PCT is fit for purpose. The average population size of all PCTs from April 2002 will be around 170,000.

Secondary information