The Health and Personal Social Services (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004

Services generally

18.—(1) A contract must specify –

(a) the services to be provided;

(b) subject to paragraph (2), the address of each of the premises to be used by the contractor or any sub-contractor for the provision of such services;

(c) to whom such services are to be provided;

(d) the area as respects which persons resident in it will, subject to any other terms of the contract relating to patient registration, be entitled to –

(i) register with the contractor, or

(ii) seek acceptance by the contractor as a temporary resident; and

(e) whether, at the date on which the contract comes into operation, the contractor’s list of patients is open or closed.

(2) The premises referred to in paragraph (1)(b) do not include –

(a) the homes of patients; or

(b) any other premises where services are provided on an emergency basis.

(3) Where, on the date on which the contract is signed, the Board is not satisfied that all or any of the premises specified in accordance with paragraph (1)(b) meet the requirements set out in paragraph 1 of Schedule 5, the contract must include a plan, drawn up jointly by the Board and the contractor, which specifies –

(a) the steps to be taken by the contractor to bring the premises up to the relevant standard;

(b) any financial support that may be available from the Board; and

(c) the timescale on which the steps referred to in sub-paragraph (a) will be taken.

(4) Where, in accordance with paragraph (1)(e), the contract specifies that the contractor’s list of patients is closed it must also specify in relation to that closure each of the items listed in paragraph 29(8)(a) to (d) of Schedule 5.