National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act 2002

Valid from 27/08/2002

25 The Council for the Regulation of Health Care Professionals U.K.

(1) There shall be a body corporate known as the Council for the Regulation of Health Care Professionals (in this group of sections referred to as “the Council”).

(2) The general functions of the Council are—

(a) to promote the interests of patients and other members of the public in relation to the performance of their functions by the bodies mentioned in subsection (3) (in this group of sections referred to as “regulatory bodies”), and by their committees and officers,

(b) to promote best practice in the performance of those functions,

(c) to formulate principles relating to good professional self-regulation, and to encourage regulatory bodies to conform to them, and

(d) to promote co-operation between regulatory bodies; and between them, or any of them, and other bodies performing corresponding functions.

(3) The bodies referred to in subsection (2)(a) are—

(a) the General Medical Council,

(b) the General Dental Council,

(c) the General Optical Council,

(d) the General Osteopathic Council,

(e) the General Chiropractic Council,

(f) subject to section 26(5), the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain,

(g) subject to section 26(6), the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland,

(h) until their abolition by virtue of section 60(3) of the 1999 Act—

(i) the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting, and each of the National Boards for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting, and

(ii) the Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine and each Board established by or by virtue of the Professions Supplementary to Medicine Act 1960 (c. 66),

(i) any regulatory body (within the meaning of Schedule 3 to the 1999 Act) established by an Order in Council under section 60 of that Act as the successor to a body mentioned in paragraph (h), and

(j) any other regulatory body (within that meaning) established by an Order in Council under that section.

(4) Schedule 7 (which makes further provision about the Council) is to have effect.

(5) “This group of sections” means this section and sections 26 to 29, and includes Schedule 7.

(6) In this group of sections, references to regulation, in relation to a profession, are to be construed in accordance with paragraph 11(2) and (3) of Schedule 3 to the 1999 Act.

Commencement Information

I1 S. 25 wholly in force at 1.4.2003; s. 25 not in force at Royal Assent, see s. 42(3); s. 25 in force for certain purposes at 27.8.2002 and for certain further purposes at 1.12.2002 and in force at 1.4.2003 insofar as not already in force by S.I. 2002/2202, art. 2