NHS South East Essex (previously known as South East Essex PCT) was established on 1 October 2006 from a merger of Castle Point & Rochford PCT and Southend-on-Sea PCT. It serves a population of approximately 342,500 across a total of 98.1 square miles, and is responsible for managing almost all of the NHS budget for healthcare in Castle Point, Rochford and Southend. With an annual budget of £471 million, NHS South East Essex is responsible for:
- planning, developing and commissioning (purchasing) high quality healthcare services including hospital and mental health care
- supporting the development of services currently offered from GP, pharmacy, optical and dental practices
- working in partnership to integrate health and social care
And,
- providing high quality healthcare such as community nursing services, PCT managed GP practices and dental services
Planning, commissioning, delivering and providing healthcare for an entire population cannot be done in isolation and that is why NHS South East Essex is committed to working with other organisations in the local community such as the local councils and voluntary agencies. Most importantly, the PCT aims to involve and engage patients and the public to ensure that services are patient centred.
