Rationalizing rationing in health care: experience of two primary care trusts.

Background: Priority setting, or rationing, in healthcare is an unavoidable consequence of competing demands on the resources available. This is a description of the experience of the two Primary Care Trusts in using an explicit scoring tool to prioritize proposals submitted for new funding within the local health economy.

Methods: A Priorities Forum Panel was established, comprising representatives from the local NHS trusts.