NHS Special Health Authority
Encyclopedia
A special health authority is a type of NHS trust
which provide services on behalf of the National Health Service
in England
. Unlike other types of Trust, they operate nationally rather than serve a specific geographical area.
They are a type of "arm's length
body" of the Department of Health
of the United Kingdom
, along with executive agencies
and non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). Special health authorities are independent, but can be subject to ministerial direction like other NHS bodies.
and the Bethlem Royal and Maudsley Special Health Authority. These direct clinical service providers were progressively merged with local NHS trusts and consequently with mainstream governance and funding arrangements.
The support special health authorities are now provided for under section 28 of the National Health Service Act 2006
.
†Became part of the NHS Business Services Authority
in April 2006)
NHS Trust
A National Health Service trust provides services on behalf of the National Health Service in England and NHS Wales.The trusts are not trusts in the legal sense but are in effect public sector corporations. Each trust is headed by a board consisting of executive and non-executive directors, and is...
which provide services on behalf of the National Health Service
National Health Service (England)
The National Health Service or NHS is the publicly funded healthcare system in England. It is both the largest and oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world. It is able to function in the way that it does because it is primarily funded through the general taxation system, similar to how...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Unlike other types of Trust, they operate nationally rather than serve a specific geographical area.
They are a type of "arm's length
Arm's length principle
The arm's length principle is the condition or the fact that the parties to a transaction are independent and on an equal footing. Such a transaction is known as an "arm's-length transaction"...
body" of the Department of Health
Department of Health (United Kingdom)
The Department of Health is a department of the United Kingdom government with responsibility for government policy for health and social care matters and for the National Health Service in England along with a few elements of the same matters which are not otherwise devolved to the Scottish,...
of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, along with executive agencies
Executive agency
An executive agency, also known as a next-step agency, is a part of a government department that is treated as managerially and budgetarily separate in order to carry out some part of the executive functions of the United Kingdom government, Scottish Government, Welsh Assembly or Northern Ireland...
and non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). Special health authorities are independent, but can be subject to ministerial direction like other NHS bodies.
Function
While special health authorities may provide services direct to the public, most are concerned with improving the ability of other parts of the NHS to deliver effective health care.Establishment
Special health authorities were set to provide a national service to the NHS or the public, under section 11 of the National Health Service Act 1977. Prior to the repeal of the whole of the 1977 Act by the NHS (Consequential Provisions) Act 2006, special health authorities included both infrastructure support organisations and national/specialist treatment providers such as the Special Hospitals Service AuthoritySpecial Hospitals Service Authority
The Special Hospitals Service Authority was a special health authority of the National Health Service in England from 1989 to 1996. It had responsibility for managing the three high security "special" psychiatric hospitals in England: Ashworth, Broadmoor and Rampton.The SHSA was established to...
and the Bethlem Royal and Maudsley Special Health Authority. These direct clinical service providers were progressively merged with local NHS trusts and consequently with mainstream governance and funding arrangements.
The support special health authorities are now provided for under section 28 of the National Health Service Act 2006
National Health Service Act 2006
The National Health Service Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It sets out the structure of the National Health Service in England.If the Health and Social Care Bill 2011 passes it will be significantly altered....
.
NHS special health authorities
- Information Centre for Health and Social Care
- National Institute for Health and Clinical ExcellenceNational Institute for Health and Clinical ExcellenceThe National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is a special health authority of the English National Health Service , serving both English NHS and the Welsh NHS...
- National Patient Safety AgencyNational Patient Safety AgencyThe National Patient Safety Agency is a special health authority of the National Health Service in England. It was created to monitor patient safety incidents, including medication and prescribing error reporting, in the NHS....
- National Treatment Agency for Substance MisuseNational Treatment Agency for Substance MisuseThe National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse is part of the National Health Service in England. Established in 2001 to improve the availability, capacity and effectiveness of drug treatment, it is currently delivering the ambitions of the across the treatment sector, pending the creation of a...
- NHS Appointments Commission
- NHS Blood and TransplantNHS Blood and TransplantNHS Blood and Transplant is a special health authority of the English National Health Service .It was established on 1 October 2005 to take over the responsibilities of two separate NHS agencies: UK Transplant , founded by Dr. Geoffrey Tovey in 1972, and the National Blood Service...
- NHS Business Services AuthorityNHS Business Services AuthorityThe NHS Business Services Authority is a special health authority of the National Health Service in England and Wales. It was created on 1 October 2005 following a review by the Department of Health of its "arm's length bodies". It began operating on 1 April 2006, bringing together five...
- NHS Institute for Innovation and ImprovementNHS Institute for Innovation and ImprovementThe NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement is a special health authority of the National Health Service in England. It "supports the NHS to transform healthcare for patients and the public by rapidly developing and spreading new ways of working, new technology and world-class...
- NHS Litigation AuthorityNHS Litigation AuthorityThe NHS Litigation Authority is a special health authority of the English National Health Service .It is responsible for handling negligence claims made against NHS bodies in England.In addition it:...
- NHS Professionals Special Health Authority
Former NHS special health authorities
- Bethlem Royal and Maudsley Special Health Authority
- Health Protection AgencyHealth Protection AgencyThe Health Protection Agency, or, in Welsh, Yr Asiantaeth Diogelu Iechyd is a statutory corporation. It is an independent UK organisation that was set up by the government in 2003 to protect the public from threats to their health from infectious diseases and environmental hazards...
- Mental Health Act CommissionMental Health Act CommissionThe Mental Health Act Commission was an NHS special health authority that provided a safeguard for people detained in hospital under the powers of the Mental Health Act 1983 in England and Wales...
until March 2009; succeeded by the Care Quality CommissionCare Quality CommissionThe Care Quality Commission is a non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government established in 2009 to regulate and inspect health and social care services in England. This includes services provided by the NHS, local authorities, private companies and voluntary organisations -... - NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management ServiceNHS Counter Fraud and Security Management ServiceThe Counter Fraud and Security Management Division protects the staff, assets and resources of the National Health Service in England and Wales. Since 1 April 2006 it has been a division of the NHS Business Services Authority, a special health authority of the Department of Health of the United...
† - NHS Dental Vocational Training Authority until April 2006; succeeded by the Committee of Postgraduate Deans and DirectorsCommittee of Postgraduate Deans and DirectorsThe Committee of Postgraduate Deans and Directors, according to its comprises the Postgraduate Dental Deans and Directors in the English Deaneries, together with their three colleagues for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales....
- NHS DirectNHS DirectNHS Direct is the health advice and information service provided by the National Health Service for residents and visitors in England, with advice offered 24 hours a day, every day of the year through telephone contact on the national 0845 46 47 number, web based symptom checkers at and via...
until April 2008; converted to an NHS trustNHS TrustA National Health Service trust provides services on behalf of the National Health Service in England and NHS Wales.The trusts are not trusts in the legal sense but are in effect public sector corporations. Each trust is headed by a board consisting of executive and non-executive directors, and is... - NHS Information AuthorityNHS Information AuthorityThe NHS Information Authority was part of the UK National Health Service . It was established by an Act of Parliament in 1999. With headquarters in Birmingham, UK, its aim was to bring together four NHS IT and Information bodies to work together to deliver IT infrastructure and information...
until April 2005 - NHS Logistics until October 2006; joined forces with DHLDHLDHL Express is a division of the German logistics company Deutsche Post providing international express mail services. DHL is a world market leader in sea and air mail....
to become NHS Supply ChainNHS Supply ChainNHS Supply Chain is a joint venture between the Supply Chain Management Division of the NHS Business Services Authority and DHL. The organisation's role is to provide a dedicated supply chain to the National Health Service in England.-History:... - NHS Pensions Agency†
- Prescription Pricing Authority†
- Special Hospitals Service AuthoritySpecial Hospitals Service AuthorityThe Special Hospitals Service Authority was a special health authority of the National Health Service in England from 1989 to 1996. It had responsibility for managing the three high security "special" psychiatric hospitals in England: Ashworth, Broadmoor and Rampton.The SHSA was established to...
†Became part of the NHS Business Services Authority
NHS Business Services Authority
The NHS Business Services Authority is a special health authority of the National Health Service in England and Wales. It was created on 1 October 2005 following a review by the Department of Health of its "arm's length bodies". It began operating on 1 April 2006, bringing together five...
in April 2006)