These Regulations make provision for the Secretary of State’s functions relating to the health service to be exercised by Health Authorities (regulation 3 and Schedule 1) and for certain restrictions on the Health Authorities' exercise of those functions (regulation 4). The Regulations also provide for the arrangements which may be made by Health Authorities and Special Health Authorities for their functions to be exercised jointly with other bodies, or on their behalf by their committees, sub-committees or officers, or by the committees, sub-committees or officers of other bodies (regulation 5).

These Regulations also revoke three earlier instruments which were concerned with the exercise of functions by Regional Health Authorities, District Health Authorities and Family Health Services Authorities (bodies which have been abolished as a result of amendments made to the National Health Service Act 1977 by the Health Authorities Act 1995) and provisions in two other instruments concerned with the exercise of functions by particular Special Health Authorities (regulation 6 and Schedule 2).