The Health Services (Choice of Medical Practitioner) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998

Change of doctor

3.—(1) A person whose name is already included in a doctor’s list, but who wishes to change doctor, may, in accordance with regulation 2, apply to another doctor who provides general medical services or performs personal medical services for inclusion of his name in the doctor’s list of that other doctor.

(2) The Agency shall give notice in writing of any of the following events to all the persons whose names are included in a doctor’s list–

(a) the death of the doctor;

(b) the fact that the doctor has ceased to provide general medical services under an arrangement with the board, otherwise than to enable him to perform personal medical services in the board’s area;

(c) the fact that the doctor has ceased to perform personal medical services in the board’s area, otherwise than to enable him to provide general medical services under an arrangement with the board.

(3) Where in any case in which the Agency is obliged to give notice under paragraph (2), a successor is appointed to the doctor’s practice under Part II of the GMS Regulations or, as the case may be, a pilot scheme is varied to allow a named doctor to perform personal medical services as a successor to the first-named doctor (and the named doctor will be primarily responsible for the performance of personal medical services under the pilot scheme), the Agency shall in writing inform each person whose name is included in the doctor’s list of the doctor who last carried on that practice–

(a) of the name of the successor (and, if more than one, of each of them) and of the address of his (or, as the case may be, their) practice premises; and

(b) that his name will be deemed to be included in the doctor’s list of a named successor from a specified date and will be transferred to that list at the end of the period of 14 days beginning on that date unless, before the date on which the transfer is to occur, he gives notice in writing to the Agency that he does not wish his name to be included in that list.

(4) Where no such successor is to be appointed to a practice, the Agency shall notify the persons whose names are included in the doctor’s list of the doctor who last carried on that practice of their right to apply to another doctor for acceptance.