Legislation – Health and Social Care Act 2012

“SCHEDULE A1The National Health Service Commissioning Board

Section 1H(4)

Status

1

(1)

The Board is not to be regarded as a servant or agent of the Crown, or as enjoying any status, privilege or immunity of the Crown.

(2)

The Board’s property is not to be regarded as property of, or property held on behalf of, the Crown.

Membership

2

(1)

The Board is to consist of—

(a)

a chair appointed by the Secretary of State,

(b)

at least five other members so appointed, and

(c)

the chief executive and other members appointed in accordance with paragraph 3.

(2)

In this Schedule—

(a)

references to non-executive members of the Board are references to the members appointed in accordance with sub-paragraph (1)(a) and (b), and

(b)

references to executive members of the Board are references to the other members.

(3)

The number of executive members must be less than the number of non-executive members.

The chief executive and other executive members: appointment and status

3

(1)

The chief executive and the other executive members of the Board are to be appointed by the non-executive members.

(2)

A person may not be appointed as chief executive without the consent of the Secretary of State.

(3)

The chief executive and the other executive members are to be employees of the Board.

(4)

The first chief executive of the Board is to be appointed by the Secretary of State.

Non-executive members: tenure

4

(1)

A person holds and vacates office as a non-executive member of the Board in accordance with that person’s terms of appointment.

(2)

A person may at any time resign from office as a non-executive member by giving notice to the Secretary of State.

(3)

The Secretary of State may at any time remove a person from office as a non-executive member on any of the following grounds—

(a)

incapacity,

(b)

misbehaviour, or

(c)

failure to carry out his or her duties as a non-executive member.

(4)

The Secretary of State may suspend a person from office as a non-executive member if it appears to the Secretary of State that there are or may be grounds to remove that person from office under sub-paragraph (3).

(5)

A person may not be appointed as a non-executive member for a period of more than four years.

(6)

A person who ceases to be a non-executive member is eligible for re-appointment.

Suspension of non-executive members

5

(1)

This paragraph applies where a person is suspended under paragraph 4(4).

(2)

The Secretary of State must give notice of the decision to the person; and the suspension takes effect on receipt by the person of the notice.

(3)

The notice may be—

(a)

delivered in person (in which case the person is taken to receive it when it is delivered), or

(b)

sent by first class post to the person’s last known address (in which case, the person is taken to receive it on the third day after the day on which it is posted).

(4)

The initial period of suspension must not exceed six months.

(5)

The Secretary of State may at any time review the suspension.

(6)

The Secretary of State—

(a)

must review the suspension if requested in writing by the person to do so, but

(b)

need not review the suspension less than three months after the beginning of the initial period of suspension.

(7)

Following a review during a period of suspension, the Secretary of State may—

(a)

revoke the suspension, or

(b)

suspend the person for another period of not more than six months from the expiry of the current period.

(8)

The Secretary of State must revoke the suspension if the Secretary of State —

(a)

decides that there are no grounds to remove the person from office under paragraph 4(3), or

(b)

decides that there are grounds to do so but does not remove the person from office under that provision.

6

(1)

Where a person is suspended from office as the chair under paragraph 4(4), the Secretary of State may appoint a non-executive member as interim chair to exercise the chair’s functions.

(2)

Appointment as interim chair is for a term not exceeding the shorter of—

(a)

the period ending with either—

(i)

the appointment of a new chair, or

(ii)

the revocation or expiry of the existing chair’s suspension, and

(b)

the remainder of the interim chair’s term as a non-executive member.

(3)

A person who ceases to be the interim chair is eligible for re-appointment.

Payment of non-executive members

7

(1)

The Board must pay to its non-executive members such remuneration as the Secretary of State may determine.

(2)

The Board must pay or make provision for the payment of such pensions, allowances or gratuities as the Secretary of State may determine to or in respect of any person who is or has been a non-executive member of the Board.

(3)

If a person ceases to be a non-executive member and the Secretary of State decides that there are exceptional circumstances which mean that the person should be compensated, the Board must pay compensation to the person of such amount as the Secretary of State may, with the approval of the Treasury, determine.

Staff

8

The Board may appoint such persons to be employees of the Board as it considers appropriate.

9

(1)

Employees of the Board are to be paid such remuneration and allowances as the Board may determine.

(2)

Employees of the Board are to be appointed on such other terms and conditions as the Board may determine.

(3)

The Board may pay or make provision for the payment of such pensions, allowances or gratuities as it may determine to or in respect of any person who is or has been an employee of the Board.

(4)

Before making a determination as to remuneration, pensions, allowances or gratuities for the purposes of this paragraph, the Board must obtain the approval of the Secretary of State to its policy on the matter.

Committees

10

(1)

The Board may appoint such committees and sub-committees as it considers appropriate.

(2)

A committee or sub-committee may consist of or include persons who are not members or employees of the Board.

(3)

The Board may pay such remuneration and allowances as it determines to any person who—

(a)

is a member of a committee or a sub-committee, but

(b)

is not an employee of the Board,

whether or not that person is a non-executive member of the Board.

Trust funds and trustees

11

(1)

The Secretary of State may by order provide for the appointment of trustees for the Board to hold property on trust—

(a)

for the general or any specific purposes of the Board, or

(b)

for any purposes relating to the health service in England.

(2)

An order under sub-paragraph (1) may—

(a)

make provision as to the persons by whom trustees must be appointed and generally as to the method of their appointment,

(b)

make any appointment subject to such conditions as may be specified in the order (including conditions requiring the consent of the Secretary of State),

(c)

make provision as to the number of trustees to be appointed, including provision under which that number may from time to time be determined by the Secretary of State after consultation with such persons as the Secretary of State considers appropriate, and

(d)

make provision with respect to the term of office of any trustee and his or her removal from office.

(3)

Where trustees have been appointed by virtue of sub-paragraph (1), the Secretary of State may by order provide for the transfer of any trust property from the Board to the trustees.

Procedure

12

(1)

The Board may regulate its own procedure.

(2)

The validity of any act of the Board is not affected by any vacancy among the members or by any defect in the appointment of any member.

Exercise of functions

13

The Board may arrange for the exercise of any of its functions on its behalf by—

(a)

any non-executive member,

(b)

any employee (including any executive member), or

(c)

a committee or sub-committee.

Provision of information to Secretary of State

14

(1)

The Secretary of State may require the Board to provide the Secretary of State with such information as the Secretary of State considers it necessary to have for the purposes of the functions of the Secretary of State in relation to the health service.

(2)

The information must be provided in such form, and at such time or within such period, as the Secretary of State may require.

Accounts

15

(1)

The Board must keep proper accounts and proper records in relation to the accounts.

(2)

The Secretary of State may, with the approval of the Treasury, give directions to the Board as to—

(a)

the content and form of its accounts, and

(b)

the methods and principles to be applied in the preparation of its accounts.

(3)

In sub-paragraph (2) the reference to accounts includes a reference to the Board’s consolidated annual accounts prepared under paragraph 16 and any interim accounts prepared by virtue of paragraph 17.

(4)

The chief executive of the Board is to be its accounting officer.

Annual accounts

16

(1)

The Board must prepare consolidated annual accounts in respect of each financial year.

(2)

The consolidated annual accounts must contain—

(a)

the Board’s annual accounts, and

(b)

a consolidation of the Board’s annual accounts and the annual accounts of each clinical commissioning group.

(3)

The Board must send copies of the consolidated annual accounts to—

(a)

the Secretary of State, and

(b)

the Comptroller and Auditor General,

within such period after the end of the financial year to which the accounts relate as the Secretary of State may direct.

(4)

The Comptroller and Auditor General must—

(a)

examine, certify and report on the consolidated annual accounts, and

(b)

lay copies of the accounts and the report on them before Parliament.

(5)

In this paragraph, “financial year” includes the period which begins with the day on which the Board is established and ends on the following 31 March.

Interim Accounts

17

(1)

The Secretary of State may, with the approval of the Treasury, direct the Board to prepare accounts in respect of such period or periods as may be specified in the direction (“interim accounts”).

(2)

The interim accounts in respect of any period must contain—

(a)

the Board’s accounts in respect of that period, and

(b)

a consolidation of the Board’s accounts in respect of that period and any accounts of clinical commissioning groups in respect of that period which are prepared by virtue of paragraph 17(3) of Schedule 1A.

(3)

The Board must send copies of any interim accounts to—

(a)

the Secretary of State, and

(b)

if the Secretary of State so directs, the Comptroller and Auditor General,

within such period as the Secretary of State may direct.

(4)

The Comptroller and Auditor General must—

(a)

examine, certify and report on any interim accounts sent by virtue of sub-paragraph (3)(b),

(b)

if the Secretary of State so directs, send a copy of the report on the accounts to the Secretary of State, and

(c)

if the Secretary of State so directs, lay copies of the accounts and the report on them before Parliament.

Seal and evidence

18

(1)

The application of the Board’s seal must be authenticated by the signature of any member of the Board or any other person who has been authorised (generally or specially) for that purpose.

(2)

A document purporting to be duly executed under the Board’s seal or to be signed on its behalf must be received in evidence and, unless the contrary is proved, taken to be so executed or signed.”