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National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act 2002

Type Public General Act

Publication 2002-06-25

Last updated 2024-12-13

State In force

Department Statute Law Database

Source legislation.gov.uk

articles Not indexed

Reform history JSON API

(a) an unregulated health professional,

(b) an unregulated health care worker, or

(4) A regulatory body may establish and maintain a register under subsection (1)(a), (b) or (c) of only such persons as are (or have been) engaged in work that supports, or otherwise relates to, work engaged in by members of a profession which the body regulates; but this subsection does not apply to the Health and Care Professions Council.

(5) A regulatory body may establish and maintain a register under subsection (1)(d) of only such persons as are (or have been) participating in studies for the purpose of—

(a) in the case of studies coming within subsection (2), becoming a member of a profession which the body regulates,

(b) in the case of studies coming within subsection (3)(a), becoming a member of a profession for which the body maintains a voluntary register, or

(c) in the case of studies coming within subsection (3)(b) or (c), engaging in work in respect of which the body maintains a voluntary register.

(6) The General Pharmaceutical Council may establish and maintain a register under subsection (1) of only such persons as are (or have been) engaged in work or participating in studies in England, Wales or Scotland.

(7) The Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland may establish and maintain a register under subsection (1) of only such persons as are (or have been) engaged in work, or are participating in studies, in Northern Ireland.

(8) A regulatory body may establish and maintain a register under subsection (1) jointly with one or more other regulatory bodies.

(9) Where regulatory bodies establish and maintain a register in reliance on subsection (8)—

(a) subsections (4) and (5) apply to each body (but subsection (4) does not apply to the Health and Care Professions Council),

(b) subsection (6) applies to the General Pharmaceutical Council if it is one of the bodies, and

(10) But subsections (6) and (7) do not apply where the bodies concerned are or include the General Pharmaceutical Council and the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland.

(11) Accordingly, in those circumstances, the General Pharmaceutical Council and the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland may jointly establish and maintain a register of persons who are (and, where they consider appropriate, have been) engaged in work or participating in studies anywhere in the United Kingdom.

(12) A request to be registered, or to continue to be registered, in a register established under subsection (1) must be accompanied by a fee of such amount as the regulatory body (or bodies) concerned may determine.

25E

(1) This section applies for the purposes of section 25D.

(2) “Voluntary register” means a register of persons in which a person is not required by an enactment to be registered in order to be entitled to—

(a) use a title,

(b) practise as a member of a profession,

(d) engage in work of a description given in section 60(2ZC) of the Health Act 1999 (social care work in England), or

(e) participate in studies that come within section 25D(2) or (3).

(3) Where an enactment imposes a requirement of that kind which applies to part only of the United Kingdom, a register is to be regarded as a voluntary register in so far as it applies to any part of the United Kingdom to which the requirement does not apply.

(4) The reference in subsection (2) to an enactment does not include a reference to an enactment in so far as it imposes a requirement of that kind which applies—

(a) only to work or practice of a particular kind, and

(b) only when work or practice of that kind is engaged in for particular purposes.

(5) In subsections (2) to (4), “enactment” means an enactment contained in, or in an instrument made under—

(a) an Act of Parliament,

(b) an Act of the Scottish Parliament,

(d) Northern Ireland legislation.

(6) “Unregulated health professional” means a member of a profession—

(a) which is concerned with the physical or mental health of individuals, but

(b) to which section 60(2) of the Health Act 1999 does not apply.

(7) “Unregulated health care worker” means a person engaged in work which—

(a) involves the provision of health care, but

(b) is not work which may be engaged in only by members of a profession.

(8) In subsections (2) and (7), “health care” includes—

(a) all forms of health care for individuals, whether relating to physical or mental health, and

(b) procedures that are similar to forms of medical or surgical care but are not provided in connection with a medical condition.

(9) “Unregulated social care worker in England” means a person engaged in social care work in England within the meaning of section 60 of the Health Act 1999.

(10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(11) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

25F

(1) Before establishing a register under section 25D, a regulatory body—

(a) must make an assessment of the likely impact of doing so, and

(b) must consult such persons as it considers appropriate.

(2) In performing the duty under subsection (1)(a), the body must have regard to such guidance relating to the preparation of impact assessments as it considers appropriate.

(3) An assessment under this section must, in particular, include an assessment of the likely impact of establishing the register on—

(a) persons who would be eligible for inclusion in the register;

(b) persons who employ persons who would be eligible for inclusion in the register;

(4) A regulatory body must publish any assessment it makes under this section.

(5) In deciding whether to establish a register under section 25D, a regulatory body must have regard to the assessment it made under this section in relation to the register.

25G

(1) Where a regulatory body or other person maintains a voluntary register, the Authority may, on an application by the body or other person, take such steps as it considers appropriate for the purpose of establishing whether the register meets such criteria as the Authority may from time to time set (“accreditation criteria”).

(2) Accreditation criteria may, in particular, relate to—

(a) the provision to the Authority of information in connection with the establishment, operation or maintenance of register;

(b) publication of the names of persons included in the register or who have been removed from the register (whether voluntarily or otherwise);

(c) the establishment or operation of a procedure for appeals from decisions relating to inclusion in or removal from the register.

(3) If the Authority is satisfied that a voluntary register meets the accreditation criteria, it may accredit the register.

(4) The Authority may carry out periodic reviews of the operation of registers accredited under this section for the purpose of establishing whether they continue to meet the accreditation criteria.

(5) If, on a review under subsection (4), the Authority is satisfied that a voluntary register no longer meets the accreditation criteria, the Authority may remove or suspend, or impose conditions on, the accreditation of the register.

(6) The Authority may refuse to accredit a register, or to continue to accredit a register, unless the person who maintains the register pays a fee of such amount as the Authority may determine.

(7) The Authority must publish such accreditation criteria as it sets.

(8) The Authority may publish a list of registers accredited under this section.

(9) “Voluntary register” has the meaning given in section 25E.

(10) In this section “regulatory body” does not include Social Work England.

25H

(1) Before accrediting a register under section 25G, the Authority—

(a) must make an assessment of the likely impact of doing so, and

(b) must consult such persons as it considers appropriate.

(2) For that purpose, the Authority must have regard to such guidance relating to the preparation of impact assessments as it considers appropriate.

(3) An assessment under this section must, in particular, include an assessment of the likely impact of accrediting the register on—

(a) persons who are, or are eligible to be, included in the register;

(b) persons who employ persons who are, or are eligible to be, included in the register;

(4) For the purposes of subsection (3), the Authority may request the person who maintains the register to provide it with such information as it specifies; and if the person refuses to comply with the request, the Authority may refuse to accredit the register.

(5) The Authority may publish any assessment it makes under this section.

(6) In deciding whether to accredit a register under section 25G, the Authority must have regard to its assessment under this section in relation to the register.

25I

(1) The Authority has the following functions—

(a) to promote the interests of users of health care, users of social care in England ... and other members of the public in relation to the performance of voluntary registration functions,

(b) to promote best practice in the performance of voluntary registration functions, and

(c) to formulate principles of good governance in the performance of voluntary registration functions and to encourage persons who maintain or operate accredited voluntary registers to conform to those principles.

(2) In this section—

(a) a reference to the performance of voluntary registration functions is a reference to the maintenance or operation of an accredited voluntary register, and

(b) “accredited voluntary register” means a register accredited under section 25G”.

29A

(1) If the Authority makes a reference under section 29 of a case involving a relevant decision such as is mentioned in subsection (8)(d) of that section—

(a) the Authority must without delay give the General Medical Council notice of the reference; and

(b) the General Medical Council may not bring an appeal under section 40A of the Medical Act 1983 against the decision.

(2) Where the General Medical Council is the respondent in the case of a reference under section 29, the matters which it may raise on the reference include any matter that it could have raised on an appeal against the relevant decision under section 40A of the Medical Act 1983.

(3) If the General Medical Council is the respondent in the case of a reference under section 29, and the Authority either wishes to withdraw the reference or, having agreed the terms of a settlement of the case with the person to whom the relevant decision relates, wishes the case to be disposed of on those terms, the Authority must give notice of its wish to the Council.

(4) The General Medical Council, having received a notice under subsection (3), must by notice inform the relevant court, the Authority and the person concerned whether it wishes the proceedings on the reference to continue.

(5) Where the General Medical Council gives notice under subsection (4) that it wishes the proceedings to continue, they are to continue but, from the time when the Council gives its notice to the relevant court under subsection (4), are to be treated as proceedings on an appeal made by the Council under section 40A of the Medical Act 1983.

(6) In a case within subsection (5), the General Medical Council must give notice to the relevant court, the Authority and the person concerned specifying the grounds of its case; and—

(a) the person concerned has the opportunity to respond accordingly, and

(b) the Authority has the opportunity to become a party to the appeal by virtue of section 40B(2) of the Medical Act 1983.

(7) A requirement in this section to give a notice to a specified person is in addition to such requirements as are imposed by rules of court in relation to the persons to whom notice is to be given; and the giving of notice under this section is subject to such other requirements relating to the giving of notices as are imposed by rules of court.

(8) In this section, “relevant court” and “relevant decision” each have the same meaning as in section 29.

Medical practitioners

Osteopaths

Chiropractors

The 1999 Act

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 (c. 57)

The Learning and Skills Act 2000 (c. 21)

The Opticians Act 1989 (c. 44)

The National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 (c. 19)

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