s 13A Mandate to NHS England
(1) ... The Secretary of State must publish and lay before Parliament a document to be known as “ the mandate ”. (2) The Secretary of State must specify in the mandate— (a) the objectives that the Secretary of State considers NHS England should seek to achieve in the exercise of its functions ..., and (b) any requirements that the Secretary of State considers it necessary to impose on NHS England for the purpose of ensuring that it achieves those objectives. (2A) The objectives specified by the Secretary of State under subsection (2)(a) for NHS England must include objectives relating to outcomes for cancer patients, and those objectives are to be treated by NHS England as having priority over any other objectives relating specifically to cancer. (3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (5) The Secretary of State may also specify in the mandate the matters by reference to which the Secretary of State proposes to assess NHS England’s performance .... (6) The Secretary of State may not specify in the mandate an objective or requirement about the exercise of NHS England’s functions in relation to only one integrated care board . (6A) The Secretary of State may revise the mandate. (6B) If the Secretary of State revises the mandate, the Secretary of State must publish and lay before Parliament the mandate as revised. (7) NHS England must— (a) seek to achieve the objectives specified in the mandate, and (b) comply with any requirements so specified. (8) Before specifying any objectives or requirements in the mandate, the Secretary of State must consult— (a) NHS England , (b) the Healthwatch England committee of the Care Quality Commission, and (c) such other persons as the Secretary of State considers appropriate. (9) Requirements included in the mandate have effect only if regulations so provide.