Health and Care Act 2022

11 Information about inequalities

(1) The National Health Service Act 2006 is amended as follows.

(2) After section 13S insert—

“13SA Information about inequalities

(1) NHS England must publish a statement setting out—

(a) a description of the powers available to relevant NHS bodies to collect, analyse and publish information relating to—

(i) inequalities between persons with respect to their ability to access health services;

(ii) inequalities between persons with respect to the outcomes achieved for them by the provision of health services (including the outcomes described in section 13E(3)); and

(b) the views of NHS England about how those powers should be exercised in connection with such information.

(2) NHS England may from time to time publish a revised statement under subsection (1).

(3) In this section “relevant NHS bodies” means—

(a) integrated care boards,

(b) NHS trusts established under section 25, and

(c) NHS foundation trusts.”

(3) In Schedule 4 (NHS trusts: constitution etc), in paragraph 12, after sub-paragraph (1A) (inserted by Schedule 4 to this Act) insert—

“(1B) The annual report must, in particular, review the extent to which the NHS trust has exercised its functions consistently with NHS England’s views set out in the latest statement published under section 13SA(1) (views about how functions relating to inequalities information should be exercised).”

(4) In Schedule 7 (constitution of public benefit corporations), in paragraph 26, after sub-paragraph (1A) (inserted by Schedule 4 to this Act) insert—

“(1B) The reports must, in particular, review the extent to which the public benefit corporation has exercised its functions consistently with NHS England’s views set out in the latest statement published under section 13SA(1) (views about how functions relating to inequalities information should be exercised).”