How we work and make decisions

Our work

The Primary Care Trust Board provides overall strategic leadership for the PCT. It is responsible for ensuring that health services locally are of the highest possible quality and that they meet the needs of local people.

The Board sets out the strategic vision for the PCT and is responsible for policy-making and the overall performance of the organisation. This includes ensuring that it manages its resources in the most effective way and abides by all the relevant rules and regulations.

It also monitors provider organisations to ensure they deliver services of the highest quality and that progress is being made against the Trust’s own plans to improve local health services.

Our decisions

The NHS is required to consult with patients and members of the general public when making substantial changes to existing services or planning new ones.

NHS Dorset’s patient and public involvement team works in several ways to do this.

One is the Dorset Health Network, with a membership of people with an interest in health and health services.

The network has groups across the NHS Dorset area, whose members meet regularly and can give their views on local service changes and developments.

NHS Dorset has also recruited four people to represent the public’s views on its high-level committees including Clinical Governance, Risk Management, Medicines Management, NICE and the National Guidance Group.

Chief Executive Paul Sly and Chair Jacqueline Swift have attended a number of ‘Question Time’ sessions, giving them the chance to meet the public and answer questions they may have.

There is also wide consultation with staff about proposed organisational and service changes.

All of these views help to inform decisions made by the NHS Dorset Board.