National Health Service Act 2006

[F1 General duties of integrated care boards E+W

Textual Amendments

F1 Ss. 14Z32-14Z64 and cross-headings inserted (1.7.2022) by Health and Care Act 2022 (c. 31), ss. 25(2), 186(6); S.I. 2022/734, reg. 2(a), Sch. (with regs. 13, 29, 30, 33)

14Z32 Duty to promote NHS Constitution E+W

(1) Each integrated care board must, in the exercise of its functions—

(a) act with a view to securing that health services are provided in a way which promotes the NHS Constitution, and

(b) promote awareness of the NHS Constitution among patients, staff and members of the public.

(2) In this section, “patients” and “staff” have the same meaning as in Chapter 1 of Part 1 of the Health Act 2009 (see section 3(7) of that Act).

14Z33 Duty as to effectiveness, efficiency etc E+W

Each integrated care board must exercise its functions effectively, efficiently and economically.

14Z34 Duty as to improvement in quality of services E+W

(1) Each integrated care board must exercise its functions with a view to securing continuous improvement in the quality of services provided to individuals for or in connection with the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of illness.

(2) In discharging its duty under subsection (1), an integrated care board must, in particular, act with a view to securing continuous improvement in the outcomes that are achieved from the provision of the services.

(3) The outcomes relevant for the purposes of subsection (2) include, in particular, outcomes which show—

(a) the effectiveness of the services,

(b) the safety of the services, and

(c) the quality of the experience undergone by patients.

14Z35 Duties as to reducing inequalities E+W

Each integrated care board must, in the exercise of its functions, have regard to the need to—

(a) reduce inequalities between persons with respect to their ability to access health services, and

(b) reduce inequalities between patients with respect to the outcomes achieved for them by the provision of health services (including the outcomes described in section 14Z34(3)).

14Z36 Duty to promote involvement of each patient E+W

Each integrated care board must, in the exercise of its functions, promote the involvement of patients, and their carers and representatives (if any), in decisions which relate to—

(a) the prevention or diagnosis of illness in the patients, or

(b) their care or treatment.

14Z37 Duty as to patient choice E+W

Each integrated care board must, in the exercise of its functions, act with a view to enabling patients to make choices with respect to aspects of health services provided to them.

14Z38 Duty to obtain appropriate advice E+W

Each integrated care board must obtain advice appropriate for enabling it effectively to discharge its functions from persons who (taken together) have a broad range of professional expertise in—

(a) the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of illness, and

(b) the protection or improvement of public health.

14Z39 Duty to promote innovation E+W

Each integrated care board must, in the exercise of its functions, promote innovation in the provision of health services (including innovation in the arrangements made for their provision).

14Z40 Duty in respect of research E+W

Each integrated care board must, in the exercise of its functions, facilitate or otherwise promote—

(a) research on matters relevant to the health service, and

(b) the use in the health service of evidence obtained from research.

14Z41 Duty to promote education and training E+W

Each integrated care board must, in exercising its functions, have regard to the need to promote education and training for the persons mentioned in section 1F(1) so as to assist the Secretary of State and [F2 NHS England] in the discharge of the duty under that section.

Textual Amendments

F2 Words in s. 14Z41 substituted (1.4.2023) by The Health Education England (Transfer of Functions, Abolition and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2023 (S.I. 2023/368), reg. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 9(11) (with reg. 7)

14Z42 Duty to promote integration E+W

(1) Each integrated care board must exercise its functions with a view to securing that health services are provided in an integrated way where it considers that this would—

(a) improve the quality of those services (including the outcomes that are achieved from their provision),

(b) reduce inequalities between persons with respect to their ability to access those services, or

(c) reduce inequalities between persons with respect to the outcomes achieved for them by the provision of those services.

(2) Each integrated care board must exercise its functions with a view to securing that the provision of health services is integrated with the provision of health-related services or social care services where it considers that this would—

(a) improve the quality of the health services (including the outcomes that are achieved from the provision of those services),

(b) reduce inequalities between persons with respect to their ability to access those services, or

(c) reduce inequalities between persons with respect to the outcomes achieved for them by the provision of those services.

(3) In this section—

• “health-related services” means services that may have an effect on the health of individuals but are not health services or social care services;

• “social care services” means services that are provided in pursuance of the social services functions of local authorities (within the meaning of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970 or for the purposes of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014).

(4) For the purposes of this section, the provision of housing accommodation is a health-related service.

14Z43 Duty to have regard to wider effect of decisions E+W

(1) In making a decision about the exercise of its functions, an integrated care board must have regard to all likely effects of the decision in relation to—

(a) the health and well-being of the people of England;

(b) the quality of services provided to individuals—

(i) by relevant bodies, or

(ii) in pursuance of arrangements made by relevant bodies,

for or in connection with the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of illness, as part of the health service in England;

(c) efficiency and sustainability in relation to the use of resources by relevant bodies for the purposes of the health service in England.

(2) In subsection (1)—

(a) the reference to a decision does not include a reference to a decision about the services to be provided to a particular individual for or in connection with the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of illness;

(b) the reference to effects of a decision in relation to the health and well-being of the people of England includes a reference to its effects in relation to inequalities between the people of England with respect to their health and well-being;

(c) the reference to effects of a decision in relation to the quality of services provided to individuals includes a reference to its effects in relation to inequalities between individuals with respect to the benefits that they can obtain from those services.

(3) In discharging the duty under this section, integrated care boards must have regard to guidance published by NHS England under section 13NB.

(4) In this section “relevant bodies” means—

(a) NHS England,

(b) integrated care boards,

(c) NHS trusts established under section 25, and

(d) NHS foundation trusts.

14Z44 Duties as to climate change etc E+W

(1) Each integrated care board must, in the exercise of its functions, have regard to the need to—

(a) contribute towards compliance with—

(i) section 1 of the Climate Change Act 2008 (UK net zero emissions target), and

(ii) section 5 of the Environment Act 2021 (environmental targets), and

(b) adapt to any current or predicted impacts of climate change identified in the most recent report under section 56 of the Climate Change Act 2008.

(2) In discharging the duty under this section, integrated care boards must have regard to guidance published by NHS England under section 13ND.]