Chapter I: Tasks and powers of the regional health agencies

The regional health agencies are responsible, taking into account the particularities of each region and the specific needs of defence, for

1° Implementing at regional level the health policy defined in application of articles L. 1411-1 and L. 1411-1-1, in liaison with the competent authorities in the fields of occupational health, school and university health and maternal and child protection, and the protocol provided for in article L. 6147-11.

To this end :

a) They organise the monitoring of health in the region, relying, where necessary, on the regional health observatories, as well as health monitoring, in particular the collection, transmission and processing of reports of health events ;

b) They contribute, in accordance with the remit of the representative of the State with territorial jurisdiction and, where appropriate, in conjunction with the Minister of Defence, to the organisation of the response to health emergencies and the management of health crisis situations;

c) Without prejudice to Article L. 1435-1, they draw up an annual programme for monitoring compliance with hygiene rules, in particular those provided for in 2° of Article L. 1421-4, in accordance with the guidelines set out in the document referred to in Article L. 1434-1 and the priorities defined by the representative of the State with territorial jurisdiction. They carry out or arrange for the sampling, analyses and checks provided for in this programme and carry out the necessary inspections;

d) They define and finance actions aimed at promoting health, informing and educating the population about health and preventing illness, disability and loss of autonomy, while ensuring that they are evaluated;

2° Regulating, directing and organising the supply of health services, in particular in consultation with health professionals and those involved in health promotion, so as to meet the needs in terms of prevention, health promotion, care and medico-social services, the specific needs of defence and to guarantee the effectiveness of the health system.

To this end:

a) They help to evaluate and promote training for healthcare professionals and those involved in prevention and health promotion, and for staff who provide assistance with everyday tasks in the homes of dependent elderly people and disabled people or in the establishments mentioned in 1° and 3° of Article L. 314-3-1 of the Social Action and Family Code, as well as training for carers and foster carers mentioned in Articles L. 441-1 and L. 444-1 of the same code. They also help to evaluate and promote support for family carers, training and support for volunteers who help to maintain social ties for the elderly and disabled, and initiatives to modernise home help;

b) They authorise the creation and activities of health establishments and the facilities referred to in Articles L. 6322-1 to L. 6322-3 as well as the medico-social establishments and services referred to in b of Article L. 313-3 of the Code de l'action sociale et des familles (Social Action and Family Code); they monitor their operation and allocate resources within their remit; they also allocate funding to the mutual aid groups mentioned in articles L. 114-1-1 and L. 114-3 of the same code and ensure compliance with the specifications mentioned in I of article L. 14-10-5 of the same code;

c) They ensure that the territorial distribution of prevention, health promotion, care and medico-social services enables the health needs of the population to be met, they contribute to the creation of the territorial professional health communities mentioned in article L. 1434-12 and ensure the implementation of the territorial mental health project mentioned in article L. 3221-2. To this end, they implement the measures mentioned in Article L. 1434-2 and evaluate their effectiveness;

d) They contribute to the implementation of a single service to help healthcare professionals to set up in practice;

e) They monitor the quality of interventions in terms of prevention, health promotion, the quality and safety of medical acts, the dispensation and use of health products and medico-social care and support and carry out checks to this end; they contribute, with the competent State services and the local authorities concerned, to the fight against abuse within the meaning of article L. 119-1 of the Code de l'action sociale et des familles and to the development of good treatment in health and medico-social establishments and services;

f) They ensure access to prevention, health promotion, healthcare and psychosocial services for people in precarious or excluded situations;

g) Under the conditions set out in Article L. 182-2-1-1 of the Social Security Code, they define and implement, in conjunction with the health insurance bodies and the Caisse nationale de solidarité pour l'autonomie, the regional initiatives that reflect or complement the national plan for risk management and the efficiency of the healthcare system. These actions focus on monitoring and improving the way in which care is used and the practices of healthcare professionals in outpatient medicine and in health and medico-social establishments and services. To this end, they publish an annual quantitative and qualitative report on stays and activity in health care institutions, including surgical procedures, based on the information referred to in article L. 6113-8. The public entity designated by the State and mentioned in the first paragraph of the same Article L. 6113-8 publishes a national and comparative analysis by region every year;

h) In conjunction with the competent State authorities and local authorities who so wish, they encourage and promote the development and implementation of a cultural component within the establishments;

i) They assess and identify the health needs of detainees. They define and regulate healthcare provision in prisons;

j) They ensure that the coordination support systems and specific regional systems mentioned in Articles L. 6327-2 and L. 6327-6 are put in place;

k) They promote actions aimed at enabling target groups to take responsibility for their own health. They aim, as part of a process of empowerment, to enable people to take ownership of prevention and health education tools;

l) They take part, in conjunction with the universities and local authorities concerned, in analysing the needs and supply of training for professionals in the health and medico-social sectors and give their opinion, under the conditions laid down in the Education Code, on the setting by universities of multiannual targets for admission to the first year of the second cycle of medical, pharmacy, odontology and midwifery studies;

m) They work in partnership with all those involved in healthcare, universities, public scientific and technological establishments and any other research bodies to participate in the regional organisation of healthcare research;

n) In compliance with France's international commitments and in agreement with the competent State authorities, they are authorised to develop international cooperation initiatives with a view to promoting exchanges of best practice with their foreign partners.