The National Health Service (Approval of Licensing Criteria) Order 2013

• Citation: S.I. 2013/2960
• Sections: 4

Section 1 Citation, commencement and interpretation

(1) This Order may be cited as the National Health Service (Approval of Licensing Criteria) Order 2013 and comes into force immediately after section 86 (licensing criteria) of the 2012 Act comes fully into force .

(2) In this Order, the “2012 Act” means the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

Section 2 Approval of criteria

For the purposes of section 86(3) of the 2012 Act, the Secretary of State approves the criteria listed in the Schedule as the criteria which NHS England must set and publish (criteria for granting a licence under Chapter 3 of Part 3 of that Act).

Section 1 Criterion 1: requirement in relation to registration with the Care Quality Commission

(1) The criterion in sub-paragraph (2) only applies in the case where a person, in providing a health care service for the purposes of the NHS , is, or on the grant of a licence would be, carrying on a regulated activity within the meaning of Chapter 2 of Part 1 (the Care Quality Commission) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (“the 2008 Act ”) .

(2) A person—

(a) must be registered with the Care Quality Commission in accordance with Chapter 2 (registration in respect of provision of health or social care) of Part 1 of the 2008 Act in respect of the carrying on of that regulated activity; or

(b) must have made an application pursuant to arrangements referred to in section 288(2)(b) ( NHS England : duty to co-operate with Care Quality Commission) of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and the Care Quality Commission has informed NHS England that the person will be registered with the Care Quality Commission in accordance with Chapter 2 of Part 1 of the 2008 Act in respect of the carrying on of that regulated activity at the date on which the licence is to be granted.

Section 2 Criterion 2: requirement in relation to provider fitness

(1) In this paragraph—

“ 1986 Act ” means the Insolvency Act 1986 ;

“director” includes any individual who performs the functions of, or functions equivalent or similar to the functions of, a director of an NHS foundation trust, as conferred by any enactment , or of a company registered under the Companies Act 2006 ;

“governor” includes any individual who performs any of the functions of, or functions equivalent or similar to the functions of, a governor of an NHS foundation trust, as conferred by any enactment;

“parent body”, in relation to a body corporate (“A”), means another body corporate which is the parent undertaking of A within the meaning of section 1162 (parent and subsidiary undertakings) of the Companies Act 2006; and

the reference to any “individual who performs any of the functions of, or functions equivalent or similar to the functions of” in the meaning given to “director” and “governor” includes a partner in a partnership.

(2) A person who provides a health care service for the purposes of the NHS and is required to hold a licence in accordance with section 81 (requirement for health service providers to be licensed) of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and regulations made under that section, must meet the criterion of being fit to hold such a licence.

(3) A person (“B”) meets the criterion referred to in sub-paragraph (2) if—

(a) in the case where B is an individual, B does not fall within the description of an unfit person in sub-paragraph (4)(a); and

(b) in the case where B is not an individual—

(i) no director or governor of B falls within the description of an unfit person in sub-paragraph (4)(a); and

(ii) where any director or governor of B is a body corporate, none of the directors or governors of that body or its parent body (if it has a parent body) fall within the description of an unfit person in sub-paragraph (4)(a) and that body does not fall within the description of an unfit person in sub-paragraph (4)(b).

(4) A person is an unfit person if—

(a) in the case of an individual—

(i) that person is a person who has been made bankrupt, or whose estate has been sequestrated, and (in either case) the bankruptcy or sequestration has not been discharged or the bankruptcy order has not been annulled;

(ii) that person is a person in relation to whom a moratorium period under a debt relief order applies under Part VIIA (debt relief orders) of the 1986 Act ;

(iii) that person is a person who has made a composition or arrangement with, or granted a trust deed for, that person’s creditors and has not been discharged in respect of that composition, arrangement or deed;

(iv) within the preceding 5 years ending on the date the application for a licence is made, that person has been convicted in the British Islands of any offence and a sentence of imprisonment (whether suspended or not) for a period of not less than 3 months (without the option of a fine) was imposed on that person; or

(v) that person is subject to a disqualification order or disqualification undertaking under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 ; and

(b) in the case of a body corporate—

(i) that body or its parent body (if it has a parent body) is subject to a proposal for a voluntary arrangement made in accordance with section 1 (those who may propose an arrangement) of the 1986 Act ;

(ii) a receiver, including an administrative receiver (within the meaning of section 29(2) (definitions) of the 1986 Act) has been appointed for the whole or any material part of that body’s or its parent body’s (if it has a parent body) property or undertaking;

(iii) an administrator has been appointed in respect of that body or its parent body (if it has a parent body), to manage its affairs, business and property in accordance with section 8 of, and Schedule B1 (administration) to, the 1986 Act ; or

(iv) that body or its parent body (if it has a parent body) has passed a resolution for winding up or is subject to an order of the High Court for winding up under Part IV (winding up of companies registered under the Companies Acts) of the 1986 Act.