The Secretary of State must carry out a review into the risk of slavery and human trafficking taking place in relation to people involved in NHS supply chains.

The Secretary of State may determine which NHS supply chains to consider as part of the review or otherwise limit the scope of the review.

But the review must at least consider a significant proportion of NHS supply chains for cotton-based products in relation to which companies formed under section 223 of the National Health Service Act 2006 (taken as a whole) exercise functions.

The Secretary of State must publish and lay before Parliament a report on the outcome of the review before the end of the period of 18 months beginning with the day on which this section comes into force.

The report must include any views of the Secretary of State as to steps that should be taken to mitigate the risk mentioned in subsection (1).

NHS England must assist in the carrying out of the review or the preparation of the report under this section, if requested to do so by the Secretary of State.

In this section—

• “health service in England” means the health service continued under section 1(1) of the National Health Service Act 2006;

• “NHS supply chain” means the supply chain for providing goods or services for the purposes of the health service in England;

• “slavery and human trafficking” has the meaning given by section 54(12) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.