PART 1Health service in England: integration, collaboration and other changes
Secretary of State's functions
47Review into NHS supply chains
1
The Secretary of State must carry out a review into the risk of slavery and human trafficking taking place in relation to people involved in NHS supply chains.
2
The Secretary of State may determine which NHS supply chains to consider as part of the review or otherwise limit the scope of the review.
3
But the review must at least consider a significant proportion of NHS supply chains for cotton-based products in relation to which companies formed under section 223 of the National Health Service Act 2006 (taken as a whole) exercise functions.
4
The Secretary of State must publish and lay before Parliament a report on the outcome of the review before the end of the period of 18 months beginning with the day on which this section comes into force.
5
The report must describe—
a
the scope of the review, and
b
the methodology used in carrying out the review.
6
The report must include any views of the Secretary of State as to steps that should be taken to mitigate the risk mentioned in subsection (1).
7
NHS England must assist in the carrying out of the review or the preparation of the report under this section, if requested to do so by the Secretary of State.
8
In this section—
“health service in England” means the health service continued under section 1(1) of the National Health Service Act 2006;
“NHS supply chain” means the supply chain for providing goods or services for the purposes of the health service in England;
“slavery and human trafficking” has the meaning given by section 54(12) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.