1996 No. 669

NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE ENGLAND AND WALES

The National Health Service (Functions of Health Authorities) (Complaints) Regulations 1996

Made

Laid before Parliament

Coming into force

The Secretary of State for Health, in exercise of powers conferred on him by sections 15(1)(b) and 126(4) of the National Health Service Act 19771 and of all other powers enabling him in that behalf, hereby makes the following Regulations:—

Citation, commencement and interpretation1

1

These Regulations may be cited as the National Health Service (Functions of Health Authorities) (Complaints) Regulation 1996 and shall come into force on 1st April 1996.

2

In these regulations—

  • “the Act” means the National Health Service Act 1977;

  • “directions” means directions given by the Secretary of State under section 17 of the Act;

  • “family health service practitioner” means a person who provides any of the services to be provided under Part II of the Act, that is to say, general medical services, general dental services, general ophthalmic services or pharmaceutical services;

Prescribed function of Health Authorities2

For the purposes of section 15(1)(b) of the Act, it shall be a prescribed function of each Health Authority to establish and operate in accordance with directions procedures for dealing with complaints about family health service practitioners.

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Health,

John HoramParliamentary Under Secretary of State,Department of Health

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations confer on Health Authorities the function of establishing and operating procedures for dealing with complaints about family health service practitioners (definition in article 1 of the Regulations) in accordance with directions made by the Secretary of State under the National Health Service Act 1977.