National Health Service Reorganisation Act 1973
Encyclopedia
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
.
The Act also established the posts of Health Service Commissioner for England and Wales. Separate legislation was passed establishing the post in Scotland. The provisions of the Act relating to the Health Service Commissioners have largely been replaced by the Health Service Commissioners Act 1993
.
The National Health Service had been excluded from the remit of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration when the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967
became law.
The impetus for the establishment of a Health Ombudsman arose from growing dissatisfaction with the quality of service in the NHS through the 1960s. This was encapsulated by scandals about the care provided to the elderly and mentally ill at Ely Hospital in Cardiff
, Farleigh Hospital in Bristol
and Whittingham Hospital near Preston. Hospitals were free to determine their own complaints procedures for the investigation of complaints, subject only to guidance by the Ministry of Health. The Davies Report, published in 1973, criticised the complaints system then in place. The Government announced in 1972 that it intended to establish a Health Service Ombudsman and that this was to be at the apex of the NHS complaints system.
Provisions establishing the posts were not extensively discussed in debate in the House of Commons, indicating the consensus of opinion around their establishment.
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
.
The purpose of the Act was to reorganise the National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
.
The Act also established the posts of Health Service Commissioner for England and Wales. Separate legislation was passed establishing the post in Scotland. The provisions of the Act relating to the Health Service Commissioners have largely been replaced by the Health Service Commissioners Act 1993
Health Service Commissioners Act 1993
The Health Service Commissioners Act 1993 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.The Act consolidated previous legislation governing the posts of Health Service Commissioner for England, Scotland and Wales....
.
The National Health Service had been excluded from the remit of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration when the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967
Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967
The Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.It established the office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration . The Ombudsman is responsible for investigating the administrative actions of central government departments and public...
became law.
The impetus for the establishment of a Health Ombudsman arose from growing dissatisfaction with the quality of service in the NHS through the 1960s. This was encapsulated by scandals about the care provided to the elderly and mentally ill at Ely Hospital in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Farleigh Hospital in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and Whittingham Hospital near Preston. Hospitals were free to determine their own complaints procedures for the investigation of complaints, subject only to guidance by the Ministry of Health. The Davies Report, published in 1973, criticised the complaints system then in place. The Government announced in 1972 that it intended to establish a Health Service Ombudsman and that this was to be at the apex of the NHS complaints system.
Provisions establishing the posts were not extensively discussed in debate in the House of Commons, indicating the consensus of opinion around their establishment.