The Health, Social Care and Well-being Strategies (Wales) Regulations 2003

Commissioning arrangements for secondary care services

6.—(1) The responsible bodies shall have regard, in formulating their strategy, to —

(a) whether the interests of the local population would be best served; and

(b) whether —

(i) improvement in the quality of secondary care services which they provide; and

(ii) better value for money and efficiency in the exercise of their commissioning functions in respect of secondary care services,

could be achieved by entering into a commissioning arrangement with the other responsible bodies and the NHS Trust or Trusts in their commissioning arrangement group.

(2) If the responsible bodies propose not to enter into a commissioning arrangement, they must —

(a) provide the Assembly with full and detailed reasons for such a proposal, together with details of the alternative arrangements which the responsible bodies propose for the commissioning of secondary care services;

(b) consult the Assembly before deciding not to enter into a commissioning arrangement, and

(c) have regard to the Assembly’s response to such consultation in making a decision on whether to enter into a commissioning arrangement.

(3) If the responsible bodies decide not to enter into a commissioning arrangement, they must publish the information set out in paragraph (2)(a) above in their strategy.