Responsibility for a community patient may be assigned to another hospital in such circumstances and subject to such conditions as may be prescribed by regulations made by the Secretary of State (if the responsible hospital is in England) or the Welsh Ministers (if that hospital is in Wales).
If responsibility for a community patient is assigned to another hospital—
the application for admission for treatment in respect of the patient shall have effect (subject to section 17D above) as if it had always specified that other hospital;
the patient shall be treated as if he had been admitted to that other hospital at the time when he was originally admitted in pursuance of the application (and as if he had subsequently been discharged under section 17A above from there); and
that other hospital shall become "the responsible hospital" in relation to the patient for the purposes of this Act.