Health and Social Care Act 2008

20 Regulation of regulated activities

(1) Regulations may impose in relation to regulated activities any requirements which the Secretary of State thinks fit for the purposes of this Chapter.

(2) Regulations under this section may in particular make provision with a view to—

(a) securing that any service provided in the carrying on of a regulated activity is of appropriate quality, and

(b) securing the health, safety and welfare of persons for whom any such service is provided.

(3) Regulations under this section may in particular—

(a) make provision as to the persons who are fit to carry on or manage a regulated activity;

(b) make provision as to the manner in which a regulated activity is carried on;

(c) make provision as to the persons who are fit to work for the purpose of the carrying on of a regulated activity;

(d) make provision as to the management and training of persons who work for the purpose of the carrying on of a regulated activity;

(e) make provision as to the fitness of premises;

(f) impose requirements as to the keeping of records and accounts;

(g) impose requirements as to the provision of information;

(h) impose requirements as to the financial position of a person registered as a service provider;

(i) impose requirements as to the making available to the public of information as to any charges made for the provision of any services provided in the carrying on of a regulated activity;

(j) impose requirements as to the review of the quality of any services provided in the carrying on of a regulated activity, as to the preparation of reports of such reviews, and as to the making available to the public of such reports;

(k) make provision as to the handling of complaints and disputes and the application of lessons learnt from them.

(4) Regulations made under this section by virtue of subsection (3)(b) may in particular include provision as to the control and restraint, in appropriate cases, of persons receiving health or social care or other services in connection with the carrying on of a regulated activity.

(5) Regulations made under this section may make provision for the prevention and control of health care associated infections and may include such provision as the Secretary of State considers appropriate for the purpose of safeguarding individuals (whether receiving health or social care or otherwise) from the risk, or any increased risk, of being exposed to health care associated infections or of being made susceptible, or more susceptible, to them.

(6) In this Chapter “health care associated infection” means any infection to which an individual may be exposed or made susceptible (or more susceptible) in circumstances where—

(a) health or social care is being, or has been, provided to that or any other individual, and

(b) the risk of exposure to the infection, or of susceptibility (or increased susceptibility) to it, is directly or indirectly attributable to the provision of that care.

(7) But “health care associated infection” does not include an infection to which the individual is deliberately exposed as part of any health care.

(8) Before making regulations under this section, except regulations which amend other regulations under this section and do not, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, effect any substantial change in the provision made by those regulations, the Secretary of State must consult such persons as the Secretary of State considers appropriate.

(9) Consultation undertaken by the Secretary of State before the commencement of this section is as effective for the purposes of this section as consultation undertaken after that time.