National Health Service Act 1977

PART I Membership of Regional and Area Health Authorities

Regional Health Authorities

1 (1) A Regional Health Authority shall consist of a chairman appointed by the Secretary of State, and of such number of other members appointed by him as he thinks fit.

(2) Except in prescribed cases, it is the Secretary of State's duty, before he appoints a member of a Regional Health Authority other than the chairman, to consult with respect to the appointment—

(a) such of the following bodies of which the areas or parts of them are within the region of the Authority, namely, county councils, metropolitan district councils, the Greater London Council, London borough councils, and the Common Council of the City of London ;

(b) the university or universities with which the provision of health services in that region is, or is to be, associated ;

(c) such bodies as the Secretary of State may recognise as being, either in that region or generally, representative respectively of medical practitioners, dental practitioners, nurses, midwives, registered pharmacists and ophthalmic and dispensing opticians, or representative of such other professions as appear to him to be concerned ;

(d) any federation of workers' organisations which appears to the Secretary of State to be concerned, and any voluntary organisation within the meaning of section 23 above and any other body which appear to him to be concerned ; and

(e) in the case of an appointment of a member falling to be made after the establishment of the Regional Health Authority in question, that Authority,

Area Health Authorities

2 (1) Subject to paragraph 4 below, an Area Health Authority for an area in England shall consist of the following members—

(a) a chairman appointed by the Secretary of State ;

(b) the specified number of members appointed by the relevant Regional Authority after consultation (except in prescribed cases) with the bodies mentioned in sub-paragraph (2) below ;

(c) the specified number of members appointed by the relevant Regional Authority on the nomination of the university or universities specified as being associated with the provision of health services in that Authority's region; and

(d) the specified number (not less than four) of members appointed by the specified local authority or local authorities.

(2) The bodies referred to in sub-paragraph (1)(b) above are—

(a) such bodies as the relevant Regional Authority may recognise as being, either in its region or in the area of the Area Health Authority or generally, representative respectively of medical practitioners, dental practitioners, nurses, midwives, registered pharmacists and ophthalmic and dispensing opticians, or representative of such other professions as appear to the relevant Regional Authority to be concerned;

(b) such other bodies (including any federation of workers' organisations) as appear to the relevant Regional Authority to be concerned, excluding any university which has nominated, or is entitled to nominate, a member, and any local authority which has appointed, or is entitled to appoint, a member ; and

(c) in the case of an appointment of a member falling to be made after the establishment of the Area Health Authority in question, that Authority.

3 Paragraph 2 above applies to an Area Health Authority for an area in Wales as if, for any reference to the relevant Regional Authority, there were substituted a reference to the Secretary of State, and for any reference to England or the region of that Authority there were substituted a reference to Wales.

4 The members of an Area Health Authority (Teaching) shall, in addition to the members appointed in pursuance of paragraph 2 above, include the specified number of members appointed—

(a) in the case of such an Authority the area of which is in England, by the relevant Regional Authority from among persons appearing to that Authority to have knowledge of and experience in, the administration of a hospital providing substantial facilities for under-graduate or post-graduate clinical teaching; and

(b) in the case of such an Authority the area of which is in Wales, by the Secretary of State from among persons appearing to him to have such knowledge and experience.

Supplemental

5 (1) For the purposes of paragraphs 2 to 4 above—

(a) " local authority " means the council of a non-metropolitan county, a metropolitan district and a London borough, the Inner London Education Authority, and the Common Council of the City of London ;

(b) " the relevant Regional Authority" means the Regional Health Authority of which the region includes the area of the Area Health Authority in question ; and

(c) " specified" means specified in the order establishing the Area Health Authority in question, or, where another order provides for it to be called an Area Health Authority (Teaching), in that other order.

(2) Where—

(a) an order establishing an Area Health Authority, or another order providing for it to be called an Area Health Authority or an Area Health Authority (Teaching), specifies more than one university in pursuance of paragraph 2(1)(c) above, the order may contain provision as to which of the universities shall (either severally or jointly) nominate all or any of the members falling to be nominated in pursuance of that provision;

(b) such an order specifies more than one local authority in pursuance of paragraph 2(1)(d) above, the order may provide for each of the local authorities to appoint in pursuance of paragraph 2(1)(d) the number of members specified in the order in relation to that local authority.