Part IIE+W+S General Medical, General Dental, General Ophthalmic, and Pharmaceutical Services

[F1 Provisions as to disqualification of practitioners]E+W+S

Textual Amendments

F1Cross-heading preceding s. 46 omitted (14.12.2001 for E. and 1.7.2002 for W.) by virtue of 2001 c. 15, ss. 67(1), 70(2), Sch. 5 Pt 1 para. 5(8) (with ss. 64(9), 65(4)); S.I. 2001/3738, art. 2(4), Sch. 2 (subject to art. 2(5)(6)); S.I. 2002/1475, art. 2(1)

[F249F Disqualification of practitionersE+W+S

(1)If it appears to a [F3Primary Care Trust or] Health Authority that any of the conditions set out in subsections (2) to (4) is established in relation to a person included in any of the following prepared by them—

(a)a list of medical practitioners undertaking to provide general medical services,

(b)a list of medical practitioners undertaking to provide general ophthalmic services,

(c)a list of dental practitioners and dental corporations undertaking to provide general dental services,

(d)a list of ophthalmic opticians undertaking to provide general ophthalmic services, or

(e)a list of persons undertaking to provide pharmaceutical services,

(such a person being referred to in this group of sections as a “practitioner”), they may (or, in cases falling within subsection (6), must) decide to remove him from that list.

(2)The first condition is that the continued inclusion of the person concerned in the list would be prejudicial to the efficiency of the services which those included in the list undertake to provide (and such a case is referred to in this group of sections as an “efficiency case”).

(3)The second condition is that the person concerned—

(a)has (whether on his own or together with another) by an act or omission caused, or risked causing, detriment to any health scheme by securing or trying to secure for himself or another any financial or other benefit, and

(b)knew that he or (as the case may be) the other was not entitled to the benefit,

(and such a case is referred to in this group of sections as a “fraud case”).

(4)The third condition is that the person concerned is unsuitable to be included in the list (and such a case is referred to in this group of sections as an “unsuitability case”).

(5)This group of sections” means this section and sections 49G to 49R below.

(6)In unsuitability cases, the [F4Primary Care Trust or] Health Authority must remove the practitioner from the list in prescribed circumstances.

(7)The [F5Primary Care Trust or] Health Authority must state which condition (or conditions) they are relying on when removing a practitioner from a list.

(8)In subsection (3), “health scheme” means—

(a)any of the health services under section 1(1) above or any corresponding enactment extending to Scotland or Northern Ireland, and

(b)any prescribed scheme,

and regulations may prescribe any scheme for the purposes of this subsection which appears to the Secretary of State to be a health or medical scheme paid for out of public funds.

(9)Detriment to a health scheme includes detriment to any patient of, or person working in, that scheme or any person liable to pay charges for services provided under that scheme.]