UK National Health Service law

NHS icon

We list all major Acts of Parliament since 1988 and important statutory instruments since 1987 which affect the public in general. We also include some legislation of historic significance, even though it is no longer in force. This collection does not attempt to be comprehensive and does not include material about clinical negligence. The text of some older legislation has been scanned. You must check whether it is still in force and whether our text is accurate if you wish to rely upon it. Some of the texts include later amendments and we have indicated where this is so. We have not attempted to locate other legislation which may have an impact on health care or public health.

This legislation generally applies in England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland often have separate but equivalent laws, especially in minor regulations. When significant differences do emerge we will try to list them here. There is a separate page for European caselaw which impacts on the rights of UK citizens. At the bottom of the page you will find more general resources on health law.

All UK Acts of Parliament since 1988 and  Statutory Instruments since 1987 (and some earlier) are available online. The parliamentary website will give you the text of all bills before parliament, and loads of other material, such as the proceedings of the Health Select Committee.

UK National Health Service law

Cases

General resources for law and health