The Patients' Forums (Functions) Regulations 2003

Annual and other reports

8.—(1) At the conclusion of each review carried out under section 15(3)(a) of the Act, a Patients' Forum shall prepare and produce a report to the Primary Care Trust or NHS trust for which the Forum is established.

(2) A report referred to in paragraph (1) shall include—

(a) an explanation of the methods used by the Patients' Forum to obtain the views of patients and their carers on the services reviewed; and

(b) a list of the Patients' Forum’s members and, where appropriate and subject to their consent, of other participants involved in the review.

(3) A copy of the report referred to in paragraph (1) shall be provided to—

(a) any body or person, other than the NHS trust or Primary Care Trust for which the Forum is established, that provided the services reviewed;

(b) the provider of any independent advocacy services mentioned in the report;

(c) the Strategic Health Authority responsible for the performance management of the NHS trust or Primary Care Trust to which the report relates;

(d) any other Patients' Forum which had a role in carrying out the review;

(e) the Commission; and

(f) any other person or body requesting a copy of the report.

(4) Where a Patients' Forum requests a response from the NHS trust or Primary Care Trust for which it is established and to whom it has made a report or recommendation, that trust shall respond in writing to the Patients' Forum promptly and in any event no later than the twentieth working day following the date the request was made giving an explanation of—

(a) any actions it intends to take; or

(b) why it does not intend to take any action.

(5) If the trust from whom a response has been requested under paragraph (4) fails to respond in accordance with that paragraph, or the Patients' Forum is not satisfied that appropriate action has been or will be taken by that trust following such a response, it may refer the matter to—

(a) the Strategic Health Authority responsible for the performance management of that trust; and

(b) a relevant overview and scrutiny committee (within the meaning given in section 15(9) of the Act).

(6) A Patients' Forum shall not refer any matter under paragraph (5) until it has made all reasonable efforts to resolve the matter with the NHS trust or Primary Care Trust concerned and it considers that those efforts have failed.

(7) A copy of any response made by a trust under paragraph (4) may be published by the Patients' Forum in whichever way the Forum considers most appropriate.

(8) A copy of a Patients' Forum’s annual report shall be provided to any member of the public on request.