Commentary on Sections Patient and public involvement Section 16: Additional functions of PCT Patients’ Forums
93.Section 16 provides for Patients’ Forums established for PCTs to have additional functions.
94.Section 16(1)(a) gives PCT Forums the specific function of providing independent advocacy services.  Section 16 (5) amends section 19A of the 1977 Act (as inserted by the HSC Act) to enable the Secretary of State to direct a PCT Patients’ Forum to discharge his function of arranging for the provision of independent advocacy services. The combined effect of these two subsections is to enable PCT Forums to both provide or commission independent complaints advocacy.  Subsection 16(5) also prevents PCT Patients’ Forums from commissioning independent advocacy services from themselves.  Section 16(1)(b) and (3)(b) give PCT Patients’ Forums the responsibility of providing advice to patients and carers about the local complaints process and to the public on how they can get involved more generally. Section 16(1)(c) provides for PCT Patients’ Forums to make representations to local bodies, in particular overview and scrutiny committees, on the views of members of the local public about matters that affect their health.
95.Section 16(3) provides for PCT Patients’ Forums to promote the involvement of local people in local decision making processes.  It also gives PCT Patients’ Forums the role of advising Strategic Health Authorities, PCTs, NHS trusts, other public bodies and others providing services to the public on how to encourage such involvement, including how the NHS bodies might carry out their duty to involve the public under section 11 of the HSC Act; and of monitoring how successful these bodies are at achieving such involvement.