Commentary on Sections The health service: overview Section 7 – The Secretary of State’s duty as to education and training
89.Section 7 inserts a new section 1F into the NHS Act subsection (1) of which places a duty on the Secretary of State to exercise certain functions so as to secure that there is an effective system for the planning and delivery of education and training to people employed, or considering becoming employed, in the health service, or in activities connected to it. The duty would apply to education and training for all healthcare professionals delivering health care including doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, healthcare scientists and the allied health professions. It would also cover trainee professionals at the start of their career, before they enter employment in the NHS.
90.Subsection (2) of new section 1F places a requirement on any person commissioning services as part of the health service to include in the arrangements made for the provision of those services a duty on the provider to co-operate with the Secretary of State in discharging his duty as to education and training. If a Special Health Authority is discharging that duty on behalf of the Secretary of State (such as the planned Special Health Authority - Health Education England), then the duty will relate to co-operation with that body.
91.Subsection (3) lists the Acts which contain functions which must be exercised by the Secretary of State so as to discharge the duty in subsection (1).