Section 51 Human Rights Act 1998: extension to certain private care providersI1I2
United Kingdom
In the Mental Health Act 1983, after section 142B insert—
“Human Rights Act 1998: extension to certain private care providers
142C(1)A registered care provider is to be regarded for the purposes of section 6(3)(b) of the Human Rights Act 1998 as exercising a function of a public nature in providing any of the services mentioned in subsection (2) (to the extent that it would not otherwise be so regarded).
(2)The services are—
(a)after-care services provided in pursuance of arrangements made under section 117;
(b)services provided in pursuance of arrangements made by a local authority in Scotland discharging its duty under section 25 of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003;
(c)the provision of medical treatment for mental disorder or assessment in relation to mental disorder, for an in-patient at a hospital, but only where that treatment or assessment is arranged or paid for by an NHS body.
(3)In this section—
“hospital” means any institution for the reception and treatment of people—
- (a)
suffering from mental disorder or other illness,
- (b)
convalescing, or
- (c)
requiring medical rehabilitation;
“illness” includes any injury or disability requiring medical treatment or nursing;
“NHS body”—
- (a)
in relation to England, has the meaning given by section 275(1) of the National Health Service Act 2006;
- (b)
in relation to Wales, has the meaning given by section 206(1) of the National Health Service (Wales) Act 2006;
- (c)
in relation to Scotland, a health board constituted by order made under section 2 of the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978;
- (d)
in relation to Northern Ireland means—
- (i)
the Department of Health, or
- (ii)
a Health and Social Care Trust;
“registered care provider” means--
- (a)
a person registered under Chapter 2 of Part 1 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008,
- (b)
a person registered under Part 2 of the Care Standards Act 2000 or Part 1 of the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016,
- (c)
a person providing—
- (i)
a care service which is registered under section 59 of the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, or
- (ii)
an independent health care service registered under section 10P of the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978, or
- (d)
a person registered under Part 3 of the Health and Personal Social Services (Quality, Improvement and Regulation) (Northern Ireland) Order 2003.”
Annotations
Commencement
- I1
S. 51 not in force at Royal Assent, see s. 56(3)
- I2
S. 51 in force at 6.4.2026 by S.I. 2026/385, reg. 2(a)