30 October 2007
521.This section contains rules about the arrangements that will be made by the local authority for the purposes of ensuring that there is a means to carry out the activities specified in section 221(2).
522.Subsections (2) to (4) have the effect that the local authority will have to enter into contractual arrangements with another person. That person (referred to as the “host”, although not called that in the Act) must not be a local authority, a National Health Service trust, an NHS foundation trust, a Primary Care Trust or a Strategic Health Authority. In addition, the arrangements must ensure that the host cannot also be a local involvement network (as defined in subsection (2)). In other words, these subsections envisage a chain of three different people: local authority – host – local involvement network.
523.Subsection (4), as well as ensuring that a local involvement network is a person distinct from the host, also specifies – with a view to securing the independence of local involvement networks – that a network must not be any of the following:
a local authority
a National Health Service trust
an NHS foundation trust
a Primary Care Trust or
a Strategic Health Authority
524.Subsection (5) ensures that the arrangements can allow for local involvement networks to work together on a regional or national basis in relation to activities specified in section 221(2).
525.Subsection (6) enables arrangements to include the making of payments by the local authority and subsection (7) provides that arrangements must include the required provision about annual reports (see section 227).