The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations 2015

Services: general E+W

20.—(1) A contract must specify—

(a) the services to be provided;

(b) subject to paragraph (4), the address of each of the premises to be used by the contractor or any sub-contractor for the provision of such services;

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

(d) the area (the contractor's “practice area”) as respects which persons resident in it are, subject to any other terms of the contract relating to patient registration, 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 force, the contractor's list of patients is open or closed.

(2) A contract must also—

(a) state the period (if any) for which the services are to be provided except where those services are—

(i) essential services,

(ii) [F1 minor surgery] funded under the global sum, and

(iii) out of hours services;

(b) contain a term which requires the contractor to provide—

(i) essential services, and

(ii) [F2 minor surgery] funded under the global sum,

at such times, within core hours, as are appropriate to meet the reasonable needs of patients; and

(c) contain a term which requires the contractor to have in place arrangements for its patients to access essential services and [F3 minor surgery] funded under the global sum throughout the core hours in case of emergency.

(3) A contract—

(a) may also specify an area, other than the contractor's practice area, which is to be known as the outer-boundary area as respects which a patient who—

(i) moves into that outer-boundary area to reside, and

(ii) would like to remain on the contractor's list of patients,

may remain on that list, if the contractor so agrees, notwithstanding that the patient no longer resides in the contractor's practice area; and

(b) which specifies an outer-boundary area must also specify that, where a patient remains on the contractor's list of patients as a consequence of sub-paragraph (a), the outer boundary area is to be treated as part of the contractor's practice area for the purposes of the application of any other terms and conditions of the contract in respect of that patient.

(4) The premises referred to in paragraph (1)(b) do not include—

(a) the homes of patients; F4 ...

(b) any other premises where services are provided on an emergency basis [F5 ; or

(c) premises where services are provided under regulation 20A (services: remote provision outside practice premises).]

(5) Where, on the date on which the contract is signed, [F6 NHS England] 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 3, the contract must include a plan, drawn up jointly by [F6 NHS England] 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 [F6 NHS England]; and

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

[F7 (6) A contract must specify that where the contractor proposes to provide private services in addition to primary medical services, to persons other than its patients the provision must take place—

(a) outside of the hours the contractor has agreed to provide primary medical services; and

(b) on no part of any practice premises in respect of which [F6 NHS England] makes any payments pursuant to the National Health Service (General Medical Services - Premises Costs) Directions 2013 save where the private services are those specified in regulation 24(2B).]

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in reg. 20(2)(a)(ii) substituted (1.10.2021) by The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts and Personal Medical Services Agreements) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/995), reg. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 17(a) (with reg. 3)

F2 Words in reg. 20(2)(b)(ii) substituted (1.10.2021) by The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts and Personal Medical Services Agreements) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/995), reg. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 17(b) (with reg. 3)

F3 Words in reg. 20(2)(c) substituted (1.10.2021) by The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts and Personal Medical Services Agreements) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/995), reg. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 17(c) (with reg. 3)

F4 Word in reg. 20(4) omitted (1.10.2022) by virtue of The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts and Personal Medical Services Agreements) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2022 (S.I. 2022/935), reg. 1(b), Sch. 1 para. 2(a)

F5 Reg. 20(4)(c) and word inserted (1.10.2022) by The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts and Personal Medical Services Agreements) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2022 (S.I. 2022/935), reg. 1(b), Sch. 1 para. 2(b)

F6 Words in Regulations substituted (6.11.2023) by The Health and Care Act 2022 (Further Consequential Amendments) (No. 2) Regulations 2023 (S.I. 2023/1071), reg. 1(1), Sch. para. 1

F7 Reg. 20(6) inserted (1.10.2019) by The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts and Personal Medical Services Agreements) (Amendment) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/1137), regs. 1(2), 4