National Health Service Act 1977 (c. 49)

Part I E+W+S Services and Administration

[F1 Advisory committees for Wales] andCommunity Health Councils E+W+S

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in the cross-heading substituted (28.6.1995 for specified purposes and otherwise 1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 17, ss. 2(1)(3), 8(1), Sch. 1 para. 10(e) (with Sch. 2 paras. 6, 16)

19 [F2 Advisory committees for Wales]. E+W+S

(1) Where the Secretary of State is satisfied that a committee formed for Wales, F3 . . . is representative of persons of any of the following categories—

(a) the medical practitioners, or

(b) the dental practitioners, or

(c) the nurses and midwives, or

(d) the registered pharmacists, or

(e) the ophthalmic and dispensing opticians,

of Wales F4 . . ., then it shall be his duty to recognise the committee.

(2) A committee recognised in pursuance of subsection (1) above shall be called—

(a) the Welsh Medical, Dental, Nursing and Midwifery, Pharmaceutical or Optical Committee, as the case may be;

F5 (b) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F6 (3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(4) The Secretary of State’s duty under [F7 subsection (1)] above is subject to paragraph 1 of Schedule 6 to this Act, and that Schedule has effect in relation to a committee recognised in pursuance of this section.

Textual Amendments

F2 Words in the sidenote to s. 19 substituted (28.6.1995 for specified purposes and otherwise 1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 17, ss. 2(1)(3), 8(1), Sch. 10 para. 10(e) (with Sch. 2 paras. 6, 16)

F3 Words in s. 19(1) repealed (28.6.1995 for specified purposes and otherwise 1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 17, ss. 2(1)(3), 5(1)(2), 8(1), Sch. 1 para. 10(a)(i), Sch. 3 (with Sch. 2 paras. 6, 16)

F4 Words in s. 19(1) repealed (28.6.1995 for specified purposes and otherwise 1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 17, ss. 2(1)(3), 5(1)(2), 8(1), Sch. 1 para. 10(a)(ii), Sch. 3 (with Sch. 2 paras. 6, 16)

F5 S. 19(2)(b) repealed (28.6.1995 for specified purposes and otherwise 1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 17, ss. 2(1)(3), 5(1)(2), 8(1), Sch. 1 para. 10(b), Sch. 3 (with Sch. 2 paras. 6, 16)

F6 S. 19(3) repealed (28.6.1995 for specified purposes and otherwise 1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 17, ss. 2(1)(3), 5(1)(2), 8(1), Sch. 1 para. 10(c), Sch. 3 (with Sch. 2 paras. 6, 16)

F7 Words in s. 19(4) substituted (28.6.1995 for specified purposes and otherwise 1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 17, ss. 2(1)(3), 8(1), Sch. 1 para. 10(d) (with Sch. 2 paras. 6, 16)

Prospective

[F8 19A Independent advocacy services E+W+S

(1) It is the duty of the Secretary of State to arrange, to such extent as he considers necessary to meet all reasonable requirements, for the provision of independent advocacy services.

(2) “Independent advocacy services” are services providing assistance (by way of representation or otherwise) to individuals making or intending to make—

(a) a complaint under a procedure operated by a health service body or independent provider,

(b) a complaint to the Health Service Commissioner for England or the Health Service Commissioner for Wales,

(c) a complaint of a prescribed description which relates to the provision of services as part of the health service and—

(i) is made under a procedure of a prescribed description, or

(ii) gives rise, or may give rise, to proceedings of a prescribed description.

(3) In subsection (2)—

• “health service body” means a body which, under section 2(1) or (2) of the Health Service Commissioners Act 1993, is subject to investigation by the Health Service Commissioner for England or the Health Service Commissioner for Wales;

• “independent provider” means a person who, under section 2B(1) or (2) of that Act, is subject to such investigation.

(4) The Secretary of State may make such other arrangements as he thinks fit for the provision of assistance to individuals in connection with complaints relating to the provision of services as part of the health service.

(5) In making arrangements under this section the Secretary of State must have regard to the principle that the provision of services under the arrangements should, so far as practicable, be independent of any person who is the subject of a relevant complaint or is involved in investigating or adjudicating on such a complaint.

(6) The Secretary of State may make payments to any person in pursuance of arrangements under this section.]

Textual Amendments

F8 S. 19A inserted (prosp.) by 2001 c. 15, ss. 12, 70(2) (with ss. 64(9), 65(4))

20 Community Health Councils. E+W+S

(1) It is the Secretary of State’s duty to establish in accordance with this [F9 section, in the case of the area of each Health Authority, a council for the area, or separate councils for such separate parts of the area] as he thinks fit, and such a council shall be called a Community Health Council.

(2) The Secretary of State—

(a) may if he thinks fit discharge this duty by establishing a Community Health Council for a district which includes the areas or parts of the areas of two or more [F10 Health Authorities], but

(b) shall be treated as not having discharged that duty unless he secures that there is no part of the area of [F11 a Health Authority]which is not included in some Community Health Council’s district.

(3) The additional provisions of Schedule 7 to this Act have effect in relation to Community Health Councils.

Textual Amendments

F9 Words in s. 20(1) substituted (28.6.1995 for specified purposes and otherwise 1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 17, ss. 2(1)(3), 8(1), Sch. 1 para. 11(a) (with Sch. 2 paras. 6, 16)

F10 Words in s. 20(2)(a) substituted (28.6.1995 for specified purposes and otherwise 1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 17, ss. 2(1)(3), 8(1), Sch. 1 para. 11(b)(i) (with Sch. 2 paras. 6, 16)

F11 Words in s. 20(2)(b) substituted (28.6.1995 for specified purposes and otherwise 1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 17, ss. 2(1)(3), 8(1), Sch. 1 para. 11(b)(ii) (with Sch. 2 paras. 6, 16)

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 20 modified (1.12.1998) by 1998 c. 38, s. 27(7)(b) (with ss. 139(2), 141(1), 143(2)); S.I. 1998/2789, art. 2