Bradford and Airedale Teaching Primary Care Trust is the name of the publicly funded healthcare system which serves City of Bradford and Airedale in West Yorkshire and is part of the NHS. The tPCT governs healthcare services in the area and like most NHS services, the majority of services are free at the point of use. It was abolished in April 2013.
The tPCT provides primary health care and community services or commissions them from other providers. Primary care provides the initial pathway into the healthcare system. It could be a visit to a doctor, dentist, optician or even going to the chemist to pick up medication prescribed by your GP.
The tPCT merged from four separate PCTs (Airedale, North Bradford, South and West, and City) in 2007.
Bradford and Airedale tPCT is also a ‘Teaching Primary Care Trust’, which has specific hospitals where medical students can learn in a practical setting.
The tPCT is managed by a Board of directors made up of eight directors and headed by a Chief Executive, Simon Morritt. The Chairman of the Trust is a non-executive director, John Chuter OBE.
The finances of the tPCT, like most PCTs and tPCTs, are largely determined by directives set by the Strategic Health Authority or the Department of Health.