Primary care is the care provided by people you normally see when you first have a health problem. It might be a visit to a doctor or a dentist, an optician for an eye test or a trip to a pharmacist to buy cough mixture. NHS walk-in centres and the NHS Direct telephone service are also part of primary care. All of these services are managed for you by your local primary care trust (PCT). (NHS Choices, 2011)
NHS Eastern and Coastal Kent
NHS Eastern and Coastal Kent provides healthcare to the 732,000 people living in the Ashford, Canterbury, Dover, Shepway, Swale and Thanet areas.
Kent Community Health NHS Trust
Kent Community Health NHS Trust is an NHS organisation employing around 5,500 staff made up of community nurses, physiotherapists, dietitians and many other healthcare professionals.
NHS West Kent
NHS West Kent has responsibility for the healthcare of the 655,700 people living in the area, aiming to add years to life and life to years by making sure you have access to the best possible NHS healthcare.
NHS Medway
Serving just over 280,000 people, NHS Medway leads on provision of primary care services to those living in Rainham, Gillingham, Chatham, Rochester and Strood.
Medway Community Healthcare NHS Trust
Medway Community Healthcare provides a range of community health services for Medway residents; from health visitors and district nurses to speech and language therapists and out of hours urgent care.
