The National Health Service (Concerns, Complaints and Redress Arrangements) (Wales) Regulations 2011

Responsible officer

7.—(1) Each responsible body must designate a person in these Regulations referred to as the responsible officer, to take overall responsibility for the effective day to day operation of the arrangements for dealing with concerns in an integrated manner.

(2) For the purposes of this regulation “integrated manner” means that the process for dealing with concerns, and, if there is a duty under the Regulations to consider qualifying liabilities, claims management reporting are dealt with under a single governance arrangement.

(3) The responsible officer is to be—

(a) in the case of a Welsh NHS body, a person who is an officer member or executive director of that body, as appropriate;

(b) in the case of any other responsible body, the person who acts as the chief executive officer of that body or, if there is none—

(i) the person who is the sole proprietor of the responsible body;

(ii) where the responsible body is a partnership, a partner; or

(iii) in any other case, a director of the responsible body, or a person who is responsible for managing the responsible body.

(4) The functions of the responsible officer may be performed by that person or by any person authorised by the responsible body to act on his or her behalf provided that the person so authorised is under the direct control and supervision of the responsible officer.