§ Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what account is taken of the age profile of the population in fixing financial allocations to PCTs. [93115]
§ Mr. HuttonWe allocate funding to primary care trusts on the basis of the relative needs of their populations. A weighted capitation formula is used to determine each primary care trust's target share of available resources, which then inform allocations.
The age profile of the population is taken into account through age weightings within the formula. The age weightings reflect the variations in the need for healthcare arising from the age structure of the local population.