National Health Service Act 1977

32 Regulations as to s. 31. E+W+S

(1) Regulations may for the purposes of section 31 above provide—

(a) for prescribing the medical experience needed to satisfy paragraph (a) of section 31(2);

(b) as to the documents which an applicant may or must produce as evidence that he is suitably experienced or has acquired medical experience of any particular kind;

(c) for requiring an applicant who claims to have acquired the prescribed experience to submit particulars of his experience to a prescribed body, and for requiring that body, if satisfied that he has acquired the prescribed experience, to issue him a certificate (a “certificate of prescribed experience”) to that effect;

(d) for enabling an applicant without the prescribed experience who considers that the medical experience which he has acquired is, or ought to be regarded as, equivalent to the prescribed experience to submit particulars of that experience to a prescribed body, and for requiring or enabling that body, if satisfied that the applicant’s medical experience is so equivalent, to issue him a certificate (a “certificate of equivalent experience”) to that effect;

(e) for treating an applicant who holds a certificate of equivalent experience as satisfying paragraph (a) of section 31(2);

(f) as to the circumstances or conditions in or subject to which a medical practitioner is exempt from the need to have acquired the prescribed experience;

(g) for conferring on an applicant who is refused a certificate of prescribed experience or a certificate of equivalent experience a right of appeal to a body constituted by the Secretary of State, and for any matter for which it appears to the Secretary of State to be requisite or expedient to provide in consequence of the conferring of that right;

(h) for anything authorised or required by section 31 to be prescribed or otherwise provided for by regulations.

In this section—

• [F1 “applicant” means a medical practitioner who is seeking to be nominated or approved by a [F2 Primary Care Trust or] Health Authority in accordance with regulations under section 29B for appointment to fill a vacancy;

• “the prescribed experience” means the medical experience for the time being prescribed for the purposes of paragraph (a) of section 31(2).

(2) Regulations under this section shall be framed so as to allow the prescribed experience to be acquired without undertaking whole-time employment.

(3) Any power under this section to make regulations—

(a) may be exercised so as to make different provision for different [F3 areas] or different periods of time or in relation to different cases or different circumstances;

(b) includes power to make such incidental or supplemental provision in the regulations as the Secretary of State considers appropriate.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Definition of “applicant” in s. 32(1) substituted (10.12.1998) by 1997 c. 46, s. 41(10), Sch. 2 Pt. I para. 9; S.I. 1998/2840, art. 2, Sch.

F2 Words in s. 32(1) inserted (1.10.2002) by National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act 2002 (c. 17), ss. 2(5), 42(3), Sch. 2 Pt. 1 para. 7; S.I. 2002/2478, art. 3(1)(d)

F3 Word in s. 32(3)(a) substituted (28.6.1995 for specified purposes and otherwise 1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 17, ss. 2(1)(3), 8(1), Sch. 1 para. 21 (with Sch. 2 para. 6)

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 32 applied (1.4.1998) by 1997 c. 46, s. 11(3); S.I. 1998/631, art. 2(1)(a), Sch. 1 (with arts. 3-5)

S. 32 applied (with modifications) (1.4.1998) by 1997 c. 46, s. 11(3)(4); S.I. 1998/631, art. 2(1)(a), Sch. 1 (with arts. 3-5)