Futures in National Health No 1 - National Health Service Commissioning Board [Update 8 April 2012]

The Health and Social Care Act 2012 sections 9 and 23 and schedule 1 provides for additional provisions which affect the NHS Commissioning Board's functions - in the way now set out in the amended National Health Service Act 2006. [Given the size of both Acts it is a tortuous chore to try and sort out the final wording. Luckily I don't have to do so! The litte I have done is a personal stroll in one of the small foothills of an Everest of statutory mountaineering.]

Appointments to Board have been made so as to enable the initial arrangements for it creation, etc. They include:
Chair:  Professor Malcolm Grant
Non Executive Director:   Ciaran Devan
Non Executive Director - Chair of the Audit Committee:     Ed Smith

In summary section 23 includes a series of 14 duties* concerning the role and activities of Board. The wide role of the Board includes: 

• to create and develop the structure and organisation of the NHS Commissioning Board;
• to develop the clinical commissioning system;
• to uphold the NHS constitution;
• to drive improvements of results for patients;
• to take forward the interests of patients in health and care;
• to develop the system in a countrywide fair and comprehensive way.

* In some ways the management team of most organisations  might review the duties and check them against theirs - they are listed as sections 13A to 13P in a new Chapter 1A of Part 2 of the 2006 Act - which is placed before Chapter 1.[Mountaineers must have some jargon word for such a convolusion of statutory packing of a rucksack of Acts.] Hopefully TSO will (has) publish(ed) as one the whole of the revised 2006 Act.)