(1)An English NHS body may appoint persons as medical examiners to discharge in England the functions conferred on medical examiners by or under this Chapter.
(2)The Secretary of State must take such steps as the Secretary of State considers appropriate for the purpose of ensuring—
(a)that enough medical examiners are appointed under subsection (1) to enable those functions to be discharged in England,
(b)that the funds and other resources that are made available to such medical examiners are enough to enable those functions to be discharged in England, and
(c)that the performance of such medical examiners is monitored by reference to any standards or levels of performance that they are expected to attain.
(3)For the purposes of discharging the duty in subsection (2), the Secretary of State may give a direction to an English NHS body—
(a)requiring the body to appoint or arrange for the appointment of one or more medical examiners,
(b)about the funds or other resources to be made available to a medical examiner employed by an English NHS body,
(c)about the steps to be taken by the body to monitor the performance of such a medical examiner, or
(d)about the steps to be taken by the body to monitor the performance of functions by an English NHS body in relation to such a medical examiner.
(4)In this section “English NHS body” means—
(a)NHS England,
(b)an integrated care board established under section 14Z25 of the National Health Service Act 2006,
(c)a National Health Service trust established under section 25 of that Act,
(d)a Special Health Authority established under section 28 of that Act, or
(e)an NHS foundation trust within the meaning of section 30 of that Act.]
Textual Amendments
F1Ss. 18A, 18B inserted (1.10.2023) by Health and Care Act 2022 (c. 31), ss. 169(1), 186(6); S.I. 2023/1035, reg. 2(b)