National Health Service Act 2006

Miscellaneous

15 (1) A Strategic Health Authority may—

(a) make available at a hospital for which it has responsibility accommodation or services for patients who give undertakings (or for whom undertakings are given) to pay any charges imposed by the Strategic Health Authority in respect of the accommodation or services, and

(b) make and recover charges in respect of such accommodation or services and calculate them on any basis that it considers to be the appropriate commercial basis.

(2) A Strategic Health Authority may exercise the power conferred by sub-paragraph (1) only if it is satisfied that its exercise—

(a) does not to any significant extent interfere with the performance by the Strategic Health Authority of any function conferred on it under this Act to provide accommodation or services of any kind, and

(b) does not to a significant extent operate to the disadvantage of persons seeking or afforded admission or access to accommodation or services at health service hospitals (whether as resident or non-resident patients) otherwise than under this section.

(3) Before a Strategic Health Authority decides to make accommodation or services available under sub-paragraph (1), it must consult organisations representative of the interests of persons likely to be affected by the decision.

(4) A Strategic Health Authority may allow accommodation or services which are made available under sub-paragraph (1) to be so made available in connection with treatment in pursuance of arrangements—

(a) made by a medical practitioner or dental practitioner serving (whether in an honorary or paid capacity) on the staff of a health service hospital,

(b) for the treatment of private patients of that practitioner.

(5) References in this paragraph to a health service hospital include references to such a hospital within the meaning of section 206 of the National Health Service (Wales) Act 2006 (c. 42), but do not include references to a hospital vested in an NHS trust or an NHS foundation trust.