21 January 2009
1.These Explanatory Notes relate to the Health and Social Care (Reform) Act (Northern Ireland) 2009 (c.1) which received Royal Assent on 21 January 2009. They have been prepared by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in order to assist the reader in understanding the Act. They do not form part of the Act and have not been endorsed by the Assembly.
2.These notes need to be read in conjunction with the Act. They do not, and are not meant to be, a comprehensive description of the Act. So where a section or part of a section or Schedule does not seem to require any explanation or comment, none is given.