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

Out of hours opt outs where the opt out notice is served after 30th September 2004

4.—(1) This paragraph applies where a contractor wishes to serve or serves an out of hours opt out notice after 30th September 2004.

(2) A contractor which wishes to terminate his obligation to provide out of hours services which was included in the contract pursuant to regulation 30 shall notify the Board in writing to that effect (“an out of hours opt out notice”).

(3) An out of hours opt out notice shall specify the date from which the contractor would like the opt out to take effect, which must be either three or six months after the date of service of the out of hours opt out notice.

(4) As soon as is reasonably practicable and in any event within 28 days of receiving the out of hours opt out notice, the Board shall approve the notice and specify in accordance with sub-paragraph (6) the date on which the out of hours opt out is to commence (“OOH day”).

(5) The Board shall notify the contractor of its decision as soon as possible including the reason for its decision.

(6) The date specified in sub-paragraph (4) shall be the date specified in the out of hours opt out notice.

(7) A contractor may not withdraw an out of hours opt out notice once it has been approved by the Board under sub-paragraph (4) without the Board’s agreement.

(8) Following receipt of the out of hours opt out notice, the Board must use its reasonable endeavours to make arrangements for the contractor’s registered patients to receive the out of hours services from an alternative provider from OOH day.

(9) Sub-paragraphs (6) to (21) of paragraph 3 shall apply to an out of hours opt out as they apply to a permanent opt out and as if the reference to “A day” was a reference to “OOH day” and the reference in paragraph 3(16) to a “preliminary opt out notice” was a reference to an out of hours opt out notice.