Commentary on Sections Part 3: Care Trusts and Partnership Arrangements Sections 45 -47: Care Trusts and directed partnership arrangements
217.Section 45 provides for the designation of Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and NHS trusts as Care Trusts in cases where they have local authority health-related functions delegated to them by agreement. The Care Trust will then be able to commission and/or provide integrated services covering health, social services and other health-related local authority functions. Designation as a Care Trust will lead to a change in governance arrangements so that local authority interests are duly represented within the governance structures of the Care Trust. Care Trusts are intended to provide for a high level of integration between health and local authority services enabling patients’ needs to be addressed holistically, the synergies of joint working to be exploited and patients to benefit from a seamless provision of their care needs.
218.Care Trust status will be conferred where an application is made to the Secretary of State or the National Assembly for Wales jointly by the NHS bodies and local authorities involved. Under section 46, partnership arrangements will have to be set up where the Secretary of State or the National Assembly for Wales directs that partnership arrangements are to be entered in to in order to address the inadequate performance of an NHS body or of a local authorities social services functions .