A special health authority is a type of NHS body which provide services on behalf of the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Unlike other types of trust, they operate nationally rather than serve a specific geographical area. They are a type of "

arm's length The arm's length principle (ALP) is the condition or the fact that the parties of a transaction are independent and on an equal footing. Such a transaction is known as an "arm's-length transaction". It is used specifically in contract law to ar ...

body" of the

Department of Health A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...

of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, along with

executive agencies An executive agency is a part of a government department that is treated as managerially and budgetarily separate, to carry out some part of the executive functions of the United Kingdom government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government or Nor ...

and

non-departmental public bodies In the United Kingdom, non-departmental public body (NDPB) is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office, Treasury, the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive to public sector organisations that have a role in the process of na ...

(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 The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

. 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 Authority The Special Hospitals Service Authority (SHSA) 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: Ash ...

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 The National Health Service Act 2006c 41 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It sets out the structure of the National Health Service in England. It was altered and completely renumbered by the Health and Social Care Act 2012c 7. ...

.UK Statute Law Database - National Health Service Act 2006
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NHS special health authorities

NHS Blood and Transplant NHS Blood and Transplant is an executive non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom's Department of Health and Social Care. It was established on 1 October 2005 to take over the responsibilities of two separate NHS agencies: UK Transplan ...

NHS Business Services Authority The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department of Health and Social Care which provides a number of support services to the National Health Service in National Health Service (England) ...

NHS Litigation Authority NHS Resolution, the operating name of NHS Litigation Authority, is an arm's length body of the Department of Health and Social Care. It changed its name in April 2017. The organisation's purpose is to provide expertise to the NHS on resolving c ...

NHS Counter Fraud Authority The NHS Counter Fraud Authority is a special health authority charged with identifying, investigating and preventing fraud and other economic crime within the NHS and the wider health group, formed on November 1, 2017 under section 28 of the Nati ...

, established 1 November 2017

Former NHS special health authorities

NHS Trust Development Authority The NHS Trust Development Authority (NHSTDA) was an executive non-departmental public body of the Department of Health. Its formation came as a result of reorganisation of the National Health Service (NHS) in England outlined in the Health and Soci ...

until April 2016; became part of

NHS Improvement NHS Improvement (NHSI) was a non-departmental body in England, responsible for overseeing the National Health Service's foundation trusts and NHS trusts, as well as independent providers that provide NHS-funded care. It supported providers to ...

* Bethlem Royal and Maudsley Special Health Authority *

Health Education England Health Education England (HEE) is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department of Health and Social Care. Its function is to provide national leadership and coordination for the education and training within the health and public h ...

until April 2015; became non-departmental public body *

Health Protection Agency The Health Protection Agency (HPA) was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom. It was an organisation that was set up by the UK government in 2003 to protect the public from threats to their health from infectious diseases and envi ...

until April 2005; became non-departmental public body *

Health Research Authority The Health Research Authority (HRA) is an arm’s length body of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in England. The HRA exists to provide a unified national system for the governance of health research. The current chair of the HRA is ...

until January 2015; became non-departmental public body *

Information Centre for Health and Social Care NHS Digital is the trading name of the Health and Social Care Information Centre, which is the national provider of information, data and IT systems for commissioners, analysts and clinicians in health and social care in England, particularly th ...

until April 2013; became non-departmental public body *

Mental Health Act Commission The 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. Mental health care is the only part of health care ...

until March 2009; succeeded by the

Care Quality Commission The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department of Health and Social Care of the United Kingdom. It was established in 2009 to regulate and inspect health and social care services in England. I ...

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department of Health and Social Care in England that publishes guidelines in four areas: * the use of health technologies withi ...

until April 2013; became non-departmental public body *

National Patient Safety Agency The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) was a special health authority of the National Health Service (NHS) in England. It was established in 2001 to monitor patient safety incidents, including medication and prescribing error reporting, in the ...

until June 2012 * National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse until April 2013; became part of

Public Health England Public Health England (PHE) was an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care in England which began operating on 1 April 2013 to protect and improve health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities. Its formation came as a ...

NHS Appointments Commission The National Health Service (NHS) is the publicly funded healthcare system in England, and one of the four National Health Service systems in the United Kingdom. It is the second largest single-payer healthcare system in the world after the ...

until October 2012 * NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service * NHS Dental Vocational Training Authority until April 2006; succeeded by the Committee of Postgraduate Deans and Directors *

NHS Direct NHS Direct was the health advice and information service provided by the National Health Service (NHS), established in March 1998. The nurse-led telephone information service provided residents and visitors in England with healthcare advice 24 ho ...

until April 2008; converted to an

NHS trust An NHS trust is an organisational unit within the National Health Services of England and Wales, generally serving either a geographical area or a specialised function (such as an ambulance service). In any particular location there may be several ...

NHS Information Authority The NHS Information Authority (NHSIA) was part of the United Kingdom, UK National Health Service (NHS). It was established as a NHS special health authority by an Act of Parliament in April 1999. With headquarters in Birmingham, UK, its aim was ...

until April 2005 *

NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement (NHS Institute) was a special health authority of the National Health Service in England. It supported "the NHS to transform healthcare for patients and the public by rapidly developing and spread ...

until April 2013 * NHS Logistics until October 2006; joined forces with DHL to become

NHS Supply Chain NHS Supply Chain supports the National Health Service (NHS) in England, and other healthcare organisations in England and Wales, by providing procurement and logistics services. History In February 2016, Lord Carter's report into efficiency and ...

* NHS Pensions Agency * NHS Professionals Special Health Authority until April 2010; became government-owned company

NHS Professionals NHS Professionals supplies clinical and non-clinical temporary staff to the NHS and provides workforce services to health and care organisations. It operates a membership base of healthcare professionals (known as 'Bank Members') who work flexible ...

* Prescription Pricing Authority *

Notes

References

{{Department of Health (United Kingdom) National Health Service (England) Department of Health and Social Care