Are primary care groups and trusts consulting local communities?

Alison Alborz¹, David Wilkin, Keri Smith

¹National Primary Care Research and Development Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. aalborz@man.ac.uk

|March 8, 2002

Summary

Primary care groups and trusts (PCG/Ts) in England struggle with effective public consultation. Despite efforts, most communities remain unaware, and PCG/Ts need better methods and resources for meaningful public involvement.

Area of Science:

Health Services Research
Public Health Policy
Community Engagement

Background:

Primary care groups and trusts (PCG/Ts) were established in England in 1999 to provide and commission healthcare for local populations.
PCG/Ts are primarily run by health professionals but are tasked with representing community interests.

Purpose of the Study:

To assess how PCG/Ts informed and consulted local communities.
To evaluate the perceived impact of this consultation on decision-making processes.

Main Methods:

Utilized data from the National Tracker Survey of PCG/Ts, a longitudinal study of 72 PCG/Ts in England.
Employed telephone interviews with chairs and chief officers, and postal questionnaires for lay board members and Community Health Council (CHC) representatives.

Main Results:

81% of PCG/Ts had public involvement working groups, with common consultation methods including CHCs (87%), public meetings (75%), and patient groups (67%).
Only 31% of chairs and 14% of CHC representatives found consultation effective. 87% of communities were unaware of PCG/Ts, and 70% noted weaknesses in consultation efforts.
CHC representatives reported minimal consultation on key areas like commissioning and service development.

Conclusions:

PCG/Ts are making efforts towards public participation but face significant challenges in developing effective engagement strategies.
There is a need for new consultation methods, adequate resources, and a stronger lay voice in PCG/T governance.
The potential abolition of CHCs could further hinder PCG/Ts' ability to incorporate lay perspectives.

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