Research for commissioners: filling a black hole in the NHS White Paper

摘要

The NHS White Paper Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS heralds many changes in the way that decisions about health services are made.1 Some are clearly spelled out; for example, whereas currently services are commissioned by primary care trusts (PCTs) working within a framework set by strategic health authorities, these bodies will be replaced by GP consortia with slimmed down management structures. Other aspects of the reforms are less well developed, particularly with regard to the role that PCTs currently play in facilitating health research.