French Public Health Code
In forceI.-Each public health institution, unless exempted by virtue of its specific role in local healthcare provision, is a party to a regional hospital grouping agreement. The regional hospital grouping does not have legal personality.
II - The purpose of a regional hospital grouping is to enable establishments to implement a common, graded patient care strategy, with the aim of ensuring equal access to safe, high-quality care. It ensures the rationalisation of management methods by pooling functions or transferring activities between establishments. In each grouping, the establishments involved draw up a shared medical project guaranteeing local services as well as access to referral and referral services.
III - All regional hospital groupings are associated with a university hospital centre for the university hospital activities provided for in IV of article L. 6132-3. This association is set out in the territorial hospital grouping's shared medical project and in an association agreement between the territorial hospital grouping's support institution and the university hospital centre. This association agreement defines in particular the terms and conditions under which the army hospitals associated with the regional hospital grouping cooperate with the university hospital centre and the parties to the grouping, in respect of the university hospital activities provided for in IV of article L. 6132-3.
IV. - Army hospitals may, with the authorisation of the Minister of Defence and the agreement of the Director General of the Regional Health Agency responsible for the establishment supporting a regional hospital grouping, be associated with the regional hospital grouping. This association is reflected in the agreement setting up the regional hospital grouping, which includes in particular the specific needs of defence and the terms and conditions under which army hospitals participate in the grouping's shared medical project and in the activities, functions and missions mentioned in article L. 6132-3.
The elements of the army health service mentioned in 2° of I of article L. 6147-12 may, with the authorisation of the Minister of Defence and the agreement of the Director General of the Regional Health Agency responsible for the support institution of a regional hospital grouping, cooperate with this grouping within the framework of a cooperation agreement with the support institution of the regional hospital grouping in accordance with the provisions of article L. 6134-1.
The elements of the Armed Forces Health Service mentioned in 3° of the I of Article L. 6147-12 may, with the agreement of the Director General of the Regional Health Agency responsible for the support institution of a regional hospital grouping, cooperate with this grouping within the framework of a cooperation agreement concluded by the Minister of Defence with the support institution of the regional hospital grouping in accordance with the provisions of Article L. 6134-1.
V.-Public health establishments with psychiatric authorisation may, with the agreement of the Director General of the Regional Health Agency responsible for the support establishment of the regional hospital grouping concerned, be involved in drawing up the shared medical project of groups to which they do not belong, within the framework of the regional psychiatric communities defined in article L. 3221-2.
VI- Establishments providing home hospital care are involved in drawing up the shared medical project of the regional hospital groupings located in their geographical area of authorisation and to which they are neither parties nor partners.
VII - Public medico-social establishments or services may be party to a regional hospital grouping agreement. A public health establishment or a public medico-social establishment or service may only be a party to a single regional hospital grouping.
VIII - Private establishments may be partners in a regional hospital grouping. This partnership takes the form of a partnership agreement provided for in article L. 6134-1. This agreement stipulates how their medical project is to be coordinated with that of the group. In border territories, establishments located in the neighbouring State may be associated by agreement.
