Section 81 - Requirement for health service providers to be licensed
746.Subsection (1) stipulates that providers of health care services for the purposes of the NHS must hold a licence issued by Monitor. This does not include services provided for the purposes of the public health service.
747.Subsection (2) covers situations in which two or more legal persons are involved, in different capacities, in providing a service (eg. a prime contractor and subcontractor). It provides that, in this situation, regulations may set out who will be treated as the service provider for the purposes of the licensing regime. It is intended that this will be the person responsible for ensuring the service complies with the licensing requirements laid out in this (and any other relevant) legislation (eg. the prime contractor). This provision is based on section 10(2) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008, where the same provision is made for the purposes of registration with the Care Quality Commission.