National Health Service Act 1977

8 Regional and Area Health Authorities

(1) It is the Secretary of State's duty to establish by order in accordance with Part I of Schedule 5 to this Act—

(a) authorities, to be called Regional Health Authorities, for such regions in England as he may by order determine, and

(b) authorities, to be called either Area Health Authorities or (in accordance with section 9 below) Area Health Authorities (Teaching), for such areas in Wales and those regions as he may by order determine,

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

Any reference in the following provisions of this Act to an Area Health Authority includes a reference to an Area Health Authority (Teaching) unless the context otherwise requires.

(2) The Secretary of State may by order vary the region of a Regional Health Authority or the area of an Area Health Authority whether or not the variation entails the determination of a new or the abolition of an existing region or area.

(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 areas so determined together comprise the whole of Wales and those regions and that no region includes part only of any area ; 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) It is the Secretary of State's duty before he makes an order under subsection (2) to consult with respect to the order—

(a) such bodies as he may recognise as representing officers who in his opinion are likely to be transferred or affected by transfers in pursuance of the order; and

(b) such other bodies as he considers are concerned with the order.