National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990

General powers

16 (1) Subject to Schedule 3 to this Act, an NHS trust shall have power to do anything which appears to it to be necessary or expedient for the purpose of or in connection with the discharge of its functions, including in particular power—

(a) to acquire and dispose of land and other property;

(b) to enter into such contracts as seem to the trust to be appropriate;

(c) to accept gifts of money, land or other property, including money, land or other property to be held on trust, either for the general or any specific purposes of the NHS trust or for all or any purposes relating to the health service; and

(d) to employ staff on such terms as the trust thinks fit.

(2) The reference in sub-paragraph (1)(c) above to specific purposes of the NHS trust includes a reference to the purposes of a specific hospital or other establishment or facility which is owned and managed by the trust.

17 (1) Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph 16 above, for or in respect of such of its employees as it may determine, an NHS trust may make such arrangements for providing pensions, allowances or gratuities as it may determine; and such arrangements may include the establishment and administration, by the trust or otherwise, of one or more pension schemes.

(2) The reference in sub-paragraph (1) above to pensions, allowances or gratuities to or in respect of employees of an NHS trust includes a reference to pensions, allowances or gratuities by way of compensation to or in respect of any of the trust’s employees who suffer loss of office or employment or loss or diminution of emoluments.