National Health Service Act 1977

8Regional and Area Health Authorities.E+W+S

[F1(1)It is the Secretary of State’s duty to establish by order in accordance with Part I of [F2Schedule 1 to the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990]

(a)authorities for such regions in England as he may by order determine; and

(b)authorities for such . . . F3 . . . F4 districts in Wales or those regions in England as he may by order determine,

and orders determining regions, . . . F3 or districts in pursuance of this subsection shall be separate from orders establishing authorities for the regions, . . . F3 or districts.

(1A)The authorities established by order under subsection (1) above shall be named as follows—

(a)an authority established for a region shall be called a Regional Health Authority;

(b). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F5

(c)an authority for a district shall, . . . F6 be called either a District Health Authority . . . F6 or by a special name indicating the authority’s connection with the district or a place in the district, . . . F6;

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F6]

(2)The Secretary of State may by order vary the region of a Regional Health Authority or the . . . F7[F8 . . . F7district] of an . . . F7[F8 . . . F7 District] Health Authority whether or not the variation entails the determination of a new or the abolition of an existing region or . . . F7[F8 . . . F7 district].

(3)It is the Secretary of State’s duty to exercise the powers conferred on him by the preceding provisions of this section so as to secure—

(a)that the regions determined in pursuance of those provisions together comprise the whole of England, that the . . . F9[F10 . . . F9 districts] so determined together comprise the whole of Wales and those regions and that no region includes part only of any . . . F9[F10 . . . F9 district]; and

(b)that the provision of health services in each region can conveniently be associated with a university which has a school of medicine or with two or more such universities.

(4)An order made by virtue of subsection (2) above may (without prejudice to the generality of section 126(4) below) contain such provisions for the transfer of officers, property, rights and liabilities as the Secretary of State thinks fit.

(5). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F11