Part 2: Health and Adult Social Care Information Section 97: General duties of the Health and Social Care Information Centre etc
This section amends section 253(1) (general duties of the Information Centre) of the 2012 Act which sets out the matters which the Information Centre must have regard to when exercising functions. It inserts a new paragraph requiring the Information Centre to have regard to the need to promote the effective and efficient planning, development and provision of health services and of adult social care in England when exercising its functions. Section 253(1) is also amended to clarify that the Information Centre has to have regard to the need to balance the needs mentioned in section 253(1) so far as they compete.
	This section also amends section 261 (dissemination of information) of the 2012 Act so that the Information Centre may only share information for purposes connected with the provision of health care or adult social care or the promotion of health. It is intended that this will put beyond doubt the Information Centre’s power to share data in connection with health care or adult social care. This could include for example commissioning, planning, policy analysis and development, population health management, assessment of the quality of services and individuals’ experiences of them, workforce planning, research for purposes which benefit or are relevant to the provision of health or adult social care and developing approaches to the delivery of health and adult social care.