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

Fees and charges E+W

24.—(1) The contract must contain terms relating to fees and charges which have the same effect as those set out in paragraphs (2) to (4).

(2) The contractor must not, either itself or through any other person, demand or accept from any of its patients a fee or other remuneration for its own benefit or for the benefit of another person in respect of—

(a) the provision of any treatment whether under the contract or otherwise; or

(b) a prescription or repeatable prescription for any drug, medicine or appliance,

except in the circumstances set out in regulation 25.

[F1 (2A) The contractor must not, either itself or through any other person, demand or accept from any of its patients a fee or other remuneration for its own benefit or for the benefit of another person, for the completion, in relation to the patient’s mental health, of—

(a) a mental health evidence form; or

(b) any examination of the patient or of the patient’s medical record in order to complete the form,

the purpose of which is to assist creditors in deciding what action to take where the debtor has a mental health problem.

(2B) The contractor must not, either itself or through any other person, demand or accept from anyone who is not a patient of the contractor, a fee or other remuneration for its own benefit or for the benefit of another person, for either of the following services provided on practice premises to which regulation 20(6)(b) applies, unless those services are provided outside of core hours—

(a) for treatment consisting of an immunisation for which the contractor receives no remuneration from [F2 NHS England] when provided to its patients and which is requested in connection with travel abroad; or

(b) for prescribing or providing drugs or medicines for malaria chemoprophylaxis.]

(3) Subject to paragraph (4), where—

(a) a person—

(i) applies to a contractor for the provision of essential services, [F3 and]

(ii) claims to be on that contractor's list of patients, and

F4 (iii) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(b) the contractor has reasonable doubts about that person's claim,

the contractor must give any necessary treatment to that person and may demand and accept from that person a reasonable fee in accordance with regulation 25(e).

(4) Where—

(a) a person from whom the contractor has received a fee under regulation 25(e) applies to [F2 NHS England] for a refund within 14 days from the date of payment of the fee (or within such longer period not exceeding one month as [F2 NHS England] may allow if it is satisfied that the failure to apply within 14 days was reasonable); and

(b) [F2 NHS England] is satisfied that that person was on the contractor's list of patients when the treatment was given,

[F2 NHS England] may recover the amount of the fee from the contractor, by deduction from the contractor's remuneration or otherwise, and must pay the amount recovered to the person who paid the fee.

Textual Amendments

F1 Reg. 24(2A)(2B) 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), 5

F2 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

F3 Word in reg. 24(3)(a)(i) inserted (15.5.2023) by The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts and Personal Medical Services Agreements) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2023 (S.I. 2023/449), reg. 1(2)(b), Sch. 1 para. 2(a)

F4 Reg. 24(3)(a)(iii) omitted (15.5.2023) by virtue of The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts and Personal Medical Services Agreements) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2023 (S.I. 2023/449), reg. 1(2)(b), Sch. 1 para. 2(b)