A to Z of MS
Click on the relevant link for more information on a topic.
A to Z of MS Primary care
Primary care refers to a professional who is normally the first person someone sees when they have a health problem. For many people with MS this is usually a GP or a practice nurse, though services such as pharmacists, NHS Direct and walk-in centres also fall under primary care. In the majority of cases, primary care services are based in the community.
In England, primary care is administered by Primary Care Trusts (PCTs). Elsewhere in the UK the equivalent organisations are called Health Boards.
In July 2010 the government published the white paper Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS. This included the aim of abolishing PCTs and replacing them with an NHS Commissioning Board and commissioning of services by GPs by April 2013. Exactly how this might be implemented is still being debated so it is unclear how the changes might affect people with MS.