Primary Care Organisations (PCOs) e.g. PCTs, are responsible for the management of independent primary care contractors and are central organisations in the restructured NHS. It is vitally important for LOCs/AOCs to communicate effectively with their local PCOs if they wish to influence the development of primary care optometry in their locality. The development of optometric services may depend on how well you brief your PCOs as to the need for an expanded range of optometric services within the community.
How to contact your primary care organisation e.g. PCT
To access details of the PCTs in England, please click here
To access details of the primary care organisations in Wales, please click here
To access details of the primary care organisations in Scotland, please click here
To access details of the primary care organisations in Northern Ireland, please click here
Professional Executive Committees (PECs)
The Department of Health issued guidance for PCTs, setting out the new arrangements governing PECs, following a consultation process within the NHS in 2007. PCTs now have the freedom to determine how PECs should be structured and operated, according to local circumstances and based on a set of guiding principles for all PECs. The guidance can be viewed as a pdf at the bottom of this page.
Many optometrists are still members of PECs following the PEC review and continue to play an important role.
Email forum for members of Professional Executive Committees (PECs, or their equivalent in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland)
The AOP set up an email forum for optometrists who are members of PECs - or their equivalents in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - to help facilitate an exchange of information and dialogue between regions. The aim is t help members play a more effective role on their PECs. If you are a PEC member and wish to join this forum, please email davidcraig@aop.org.uk who will arrange for you to participate. The rules and instructions for participating in the forum are listed in a pdf document at the end of this page.
Reconfigurations of Strategic Health Authorities and Primary Care Trusts in England 2006
The number of Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs) was reduced from 28 to 10 in July 2006. The number of PCTs in England were reduced from 303 to 152 in October 2006. For details of these changes, including maps of the new SHA and PCT areas click here
Overall maps of the new configurations are also available in pdf format at the bottom of the page.
