Health Authorities Act 1995

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Health Authorities Act 1995
Act of Parliament
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (variant 1, 1952-2022).svg
Long title An Act to abolish Regional Health Authorities, District Health Authorities and Family Health Services Authorities, require the establishment of Health Authorities and make provision in relation to Health Authorities and Special Health Authorities and for connected purposes.
Citation 1995 c. 17
Introduced by Secretary of State for Health, Virginia Bottomley, 1994 (Commons)
Territorial extent England and Wales
Dates
Royal assent 28 June 1995
Commencement from 1 April 1996
Status: Current legislation
Text of statute as originally enacted
Text of the Health Authorities Act 1995 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

The Health Authorities Act 1995 (c. 17) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reorganised the administration of the National Health Service in England and Wales.

The 1995 Act followed the introduction of an internal market within the NHS under the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990. [1]

The 1995 Act abolished the regional health authorities (RHAs), district health authorities (DHAs) and family health services authorities (FHSAs) established under the National Health Service Reorganisation Act 1973 and Health Services Act 1980. The RHAs were replaced by eight regional offices of the NHS Executive, and the functions of the DHAs and FHSAs were effectively merged and taken up by new health authorities. [2]

These reforms lasted until the next major reorganisation of the NHS under the National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act 2002. [2] The 2002 Act abolished HAs and transferred most of their responsibilities to primary care trusts. It also created a system of strategic health authorities. [3]

Related Research Articles

Strategic health authorities (SHA) were part of the structure of the National Health Service in England between 2002 and 2013. Each SHA was responsible for managing performance, enacting directives and implementing health policy as required by the Department of Health at a regional level. Initially 28 in number, they were reduced to 10 in 2006. Along with primary care trusts, they were replaced by clinical commissioning groups and Public Health England in 2013 under the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NHS primary care trust</span>

Primary care trusts (PCTs) were part of the National Health Service in England from 2001 to 2013. PCTs were largely administrative bodies, responsible for commissioning primary, community and secondary health services from providers. Until 31 May 2011, they also provided community health services directly. Collectively PCTs were responsible for spending around 80 per cent of the total NHS budget. Primary care trusts were abolished on 31 March 2013 as part of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, with their work taken over by clinical commissioning groups.

Between 1996 and 2002, the National Health Service in England and Wales was organised under health authorities (HAs). There were 95 HAs at the time of their abolition in England in 2002, and they reported to the eight regional offices of the NHS Executive. They generally covered groups of one or more complete local authority districts (LADs), but there were cases where LADs were split.

District health authorities (DHAs) were National Health Service (NHS) administrative organisations set up in England and Wales in 1982 by the Health Services Act 1980. They replaced area health authorities (AHAs) and were responsible to an upper tier of regional health authorities (RHAs). Both the district and regional health authorities were abolished in 1996 as a result of the Health Authorities Act 1995.

Regional health authorities (RHAs) were National Health Service (NHS) organisations set up in 1974 by the National Health Service Reorganisation Act 1973 to replace regional hospital boards and to manage a lower tier of area health authorities (AHAs) in England. AHAs were created for Wales but not RHAs. Separate legislation was passed for Scotland. In 1996, the regional health authorities were abolished and replaced by eight regional offices of the NHS Executive as a result of the Health Authorities Act 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Health Service Reorganisation Act 1973</span> United Kingdom legislation

The National Health Service Reorganisation Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The purpose of the act was to reorganise the National Health Service in England and Wales. Separate legislation was passed a year earlier for Scotland. This was the first time the NHS had been reorganised in the UK since it was established in 1948. The next major reorganisations would be the Health Services Act 1980 and the Health Authorities Act 1995 which repealed the 1973 Act.

Area health authorities (AHAs) were 90 National Health Service (NHS) administrative organisations set up in England and Wales in 1974 by the National Health Service Reorganisation Act 1973. Separate legislation was passed for Scotland. In England, they were responsible to an upper tier of regional health authorities (RHAs). In 1982, the AHAs were abolished and replaced by 192 smaller district health authorities but the RHAs remained. Both the district and regional health authorities were then themselves abolished in 1996 as a result of the Health Authorities Act 1995.

Healthcare in Dorset was primarily the responsibility of Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group until July 2022. Dorset County Council is leading in the development of an electronic health record, to be called the Dorset Care Record, provided by Orion Health. It is intended to enable all health and social care providers to share records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Healthcare in Kent</span>

Healthcare in Kent has, from 1 July 2022, been mainly the responsibility of the Kent & Medway Integrated Care Board. Certain specialised services are directly commissioned by NHS England, coordinated through the South East integrated regional team. Some NHS England structures are aligned on a Kent and Medway basis, others on a South East basis and there is liaison with London to provide many tertiary healthcare services.

Healthcare in Bedfordshire is the responsibility of Bedfordshire and Luton Integrated Care Systems.

Healthcare in Sussex is the responsibility of NHS Sussex, an integrated care system and the NHS Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

Healthcare in Cornwall was until July 2022 the responsibility of Kernow clinical commissioning group, until it got replaced by Integrated care system, as a result of the Health and Care Act 2022. As far as the NHS is concerned, Cornwall includes the Isles of Scilly.

Healthcare in Cambridgeshire was the responsibility of NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group until July 2022. This was one of the largest in the United Kingdom.

Healthcare in Gloucestershire was the responsibility of two clinical commissioning groups, covering Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire, until July 2022. The health economy of Gloucestershire has always been linked with that of Bristol.

Healthcare in Herefordshire was the responsibility of Herefordshire Clinical Commissioning Group until July 2022.

Healthcare in Hertfordshire was the responsibility of the Herts Valleys, East, and North Hertfordshire clinical commissioning groups until July 2022.

Healthcare in Oxfordshire, England, is managed by the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West integrated care system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health Services Act 1980</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Health Services Act 1980 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reorganised the administration of the National Health Service in England and Wales. The Act abolished all area health authorities (AHAs) in 1982 and replaced them with 192 district health authorities (DHAs). It also repealed the provisions that had been introduced in the National Health Service Act 1977 which sought to remove paid private treatment from NHS hospitals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act 2002</span> United Kingdom legislation

The National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act 2002 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reorganised the administration of the National Health Service in England and Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health and Social Care Act 2001</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Health and Social Care Act 2001 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It represented the Labour Party's turn towards private health sector after decades of anti-privatisation rhetoric.

References

  1. "National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990". The Health Foundation . Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Health Authorities Act 1995". The Health Foundation . Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  3. "National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act 2002". The Health Foundation . Retrieved 29 July 2024.