The strategic health authority does not directly provide health services, but manages the NHS locally by working closely with local primary care trusts (PCTs) and hospital trusts.
The South East Coast Strategic Health Authority's role is to identify the health needs of local people and arrange for services to be provided by hospitals, doctors (via primary care trusts) and others. Its role includes:
- making sure local NHS trusts are performing well
- improving the quality and consistency of health services in the local area
- making sure national health programmes are put into place locally.
