Establishment
Special health authorities were set to provide a national service to the NHS or the public, under section 11 of the National Health Service Act 1977. Prior to the repeal of the whole of the 1977 Act by the NHS (Consequential Provisions) Act 2006, special health authorities included both infrastructure support organisations and national/specialist treatment providers such as the Special Hospitals Service Authority and the Bethlem Royal and Maudsley Special Health Authority. These direct clinical service providers were progressively merged with local NHS trusts and consequently with mainstream governance and funding arrangements.
The support special health authorities are now provided for under section 28 of the National Health Service Act 2006.
Read more about this topic: NHS Special Health Authority