General Medical Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997

Regulation 34(1)(c) and (4)

SCHEDULE 5 Maternity Medical Services

1.  A doctor with whom a woman has made an arrangement under regulation 34(2) for the provision of maternity medical services during the ante-natal period shall take all reasonable steps to secure that she receives all necessary personal medical services connected with the pregnancy from the time when the arrangement is made until—

(a) where the pregnancy is terminated by miscarriage, the woman has received all necessary personal medical services in connection with the miscarriage; or

(b) where the woman goes into labour, the date of the onset of that labour.

2.  A doctor with whom a woman has made an arrangement under regulation 34(2) for the provision of maternity medical services during labour shall take all reasonable steps to secure that she receives all necessary personal medical services during that labour.

3.  A doctor with whom a woman has made an arrangement under regulation 34(2) for the provision of maternity medical services during the post-natal period shall—

(a) take all reasonable steps to secure that the woman receives all necessary personal medical services related to the recent pregnancy or labour during the post-natal period; and

(b) where the pregnancy has resulted in the birth of a live baby, render all necessary personal medical services to that baby during the period of 14 days following its birth unless, during that period, another doctor has accepted the baby for inclusion in his list pursuant to an application made on the baby’s behalf under regulation 19(2).

4.  A doctor with whom a woman has made an arrangement under regulation 34(2) for the provision of a post-natal examination shall, not less than 6 weeks nor more than 12 weeks after the conclusion of her pregnancy—

(a) undertake a full post-natal examination of the woman; and

(b) take all reasonable steps to ensure that the woman is informed of the need for any further treatment she may require.

5.  Where the doctor is aware that an arrangement under regulation 34(2) is about to be terminated under regulation 34(6) he shall take all reasonable steps to ensure that the woman is informed of the manner in which she may make a further such arrangement with another doctor.

6.  The doctor shall be relieved of his obligations under paragraph 1, 2, 3 or 4, as the case may be,—

(a) during any period when the woman is outside the doctor’s practice area and is not present at any other place where, pursuant to paragraph 14 of the terms of service, the doctor is obliged to visit her;

(b) where it is proposed that the woman’s labour should take place in a hospital, to the extent that responsibility for her care has been taken over by the hospital; and

(c) where the woman has been admitted to a hospital as an in-patient, to the extent that her care has been taken over by the hospital.