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NHS Act 2006 partnership arrangements

  • Last modified date:
    23 July 2008

New powers to enable health and local authority partners to work together more effectively came into force on 1st April 2000. These were outlined in Section 31 of the 1999 Health Act. These partnership arrangements for health bodies, such as Strategic Health Authorities, Primary Care Trusts, together with any health-related local authority service such as social services, housing, transport, leisure and library services, community and many acute services.

Section 31 of the Health Act 1999 has since been repealed and replaced, for England, by Section 75 of the National Health Service Act 2006, which has consolidated NHS legislation.

The new provision is in exactly the same terms and existing Section 31 arrangements will continue as if made under the new powers.  Any new partnership arrangements should refer to the new powers under Section 75 rather than to Section 31.

The new powers

  • Pooled funds - the ability for partners each to contribute agreed funds to a single pot, to be spent on agreed projects for designated services
  • Lead commissioning - the partners can agree to delegate commissioning of a service to one lead organisation
  • Integrated provision - the partners can join together their staff, resources, and management structures to integrate the provision of a service from managerial level to the front line

Who can be involved?

Health bodies, such as strategic health authorities, NHS foundation trusts, NHS trusts and primary care trusts, together with any health-related local authority service such as social services, housing, transport, leisure and library services, community and many acute services.

How will this help improve services?

The aim is to enable partners to join together to design and deliver services around the needs of users rather than worrying about the boundaries of their organisations. These arrangements should help eliminate unnecessary gaps and duplications between services.

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