National Health Service (Wales) Act 2006

[F1 24A Duty of Special Health Authorities to secure quality in health services E+W

(1) Each Special Health Authority must exercise its functions with a view to securing improvement in the quality of health services.

(2) For the purposes of this section—

• “health services” means any services provided or secured in accordance with this Act;

• “quality” includes, but is not limited to, quality in terms of—

  (a)

  the effectiveness of health services,

  (b)

  the safety of health services, and

  (c)

  the experience of individuals to whom health services are provided.

(3) Each Special Health Authority must publish an annual report on the steps it has taken to comply with the duty in subsection (1).

(4) The report must include an assessment of the extent of any improvement in outcomes achieved by virtue of those steps.

(5) The Welsh Ministers must issue guidance to Special Health Authorities in relation to the requirements imposed by subsections (1) and (3).

(6) The guidance must, in particular, include guidance about—

(a) the evidence to be used in support of an assessment required by this section, and

(b) the conduct of such an assessment.

(7) Each Special Health Authority must have regard to guidance issued under subsection (5).

(8) This section does not apply in relation to a cross-border Special Health Authority (within the meaning of section 8A(5)).]

Textual Amendments

F1 S. 24A inserted (1.4.2023) by Health and Social Care (Quality and Engagement) (Wales) Act 2020 (asc 1), ss. 2(5), 29(2); S.I. 2023/370, art. 3(1)(b)