It provides for a number of administrative changes in the National Health Service.

The Act is best known for having introduced provisions for the creation of a ban on smoking in enclosed public places.

Smoking was banned separately in Northern Ireland and Scotland — in Northern Ireland by the Smoking (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 which took effect on 30 April 2007, and in Scotland (taking effect 26 March 2006) by the Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Act 2005.

In 2017, the Supreme Court held that the smoking ban contained in chapter 1 of the Act did not bind the Crown, and therefore did not need to be enforced on Crown premises such as prisons.

[2] Section 13 granted the Secretary of State the power to increase the age for purchasing tobacco from 16 to 18, which came into force on 1 October 2007.