NHS West Midlands is the Strategic Health Authority for the West Midlands. It is one of ten strategic health authorities created on 1 July 2006, to lead the local areas identified as a result of Commissioning a Patient-led NHS. It covers an area of 5.4m people across Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Herefordshire, Sandwell, Shropshire, Solihull, Staffordshire, Stoke on Trent, Telford and Wrekin, Walsall, Warwickshire, Wolverhampton and Worcestershire. As the local headquarters of the NHS in the West Midlands, it manages 16 Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and one Care Trust (which provide community healthcare such as Dentistry and GP services), 19 Acute Trusts (hospitals) including 8 Foundation Trusts, 7 Mental Health Trusts including 3 Foundation Trusts, and 1 ambulance service. We are responsible for ensuring that the £7 billion spent on health and health care across the West Midlands delivers better services for patients and better value for money for tax payers.