The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) (Prescription of Drugs Etc.) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2024

Amendment to the National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) (Prescription of Drugs Etc.) (Wales) Regulations 2004

2.—(1) Schedule 2 to the National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) (Prescription of Drugs Etc.) (Wales) Regulations 2004(1) is amended as follows.

(2) In the table—

(a) in column 1 of the table (drugs), at the appropriate place insert “GnRH analogue”;

(b) in column 2 (patient), at the appropriate place insert—

“(1) Any patient who is aged 18 or over.

(2) Any patient who is aged under 18 to whom the general medical practitioner is providing treatment under the contract which does not include treatment for the purpose of puberty suppression in respect of gender dysphoria, gender incongruence or a combination of both.

(3) Any patient who is aged under 18, and who—

(a) before 19 July 2024, started a course of treatment with a GnRH analogue for the purpose of puberty suppression in respect of gender dysphoria, gender incongruence or a combination of both, and in this context, a person is treated as having started a course of treatment with a GnRH analogue if, on or after 3 December 2023, that person was issued with a NHS or private prescription for a GnRH analogue, whether or not the prescription has been dispensed or the prescribed GnRH analogue has been taken by that person before 19 July 2024; or

(b) is being treated with a GnRH analogue as part of a National Institute for Health and Care Research clinical trial related to treatment with a GnRH analogue for the purpose of puberty suppression in respect of gender dysphoria, gender incongruence or a combination of both.”;

(c) in column 3 (condition), at the appropriate place insert—

“(1) Treatment for any purpose.

(2) Treatment for any purpose other than treatment for the purpose of puberty suppression in respect of gender dysphoria, gender incongruence or a combination of both.

(3) Treatment for the purpose of puberty suppression in respect of gender dysphoria, gender incongruence or a combination of both.”;

(d) in column 1 (drugs), omit the entry for “Cyanocobalamin Tablets” and the adjacent part which relates to the description of the patient (column 2) and the condition (column 3).

(3) At the end of the table, in the interpretation provision, at the appropriate place insert—

““general medical practitioner” means a medical practitioner whose name is included in the General Practitioner Register, kept by the General Medical Council under section 2 of the Medical Act 1983(2);

“GnRH analogue” means gonadotrophin-releasing hormone, a medicinal product that consists of or contains buserelin, gonadorelin, goserelin, leuprorelin acetate, nafarelin or triptorelin;”.

(4) At the end of the table, in the interpretation provision, in the definition of “patient”, for “National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) (Wales) Regulations 2004” substitute “National Health Services (General Medical Service Contracts) (Wales) Regulations 2023(3)”.

(1)

S.I. 2004/1022 (W. 119), amended by S.I. 2005/366 (W. 32), S.I. 2009/1838 (W. 166), S.I. 2009/1977 (W. 176), S.I. 2011/1043, S.I. 2012/1916, S.I. 2013/683 (W. 81), S.I. 2014/109 (W. 09), S.I. 2016/90 (W. 43), and S.I. 2020/1396 (W. 309).

(2)

1983 c. 54. Section 2 was amended by S.I. 2002/3135, S.I. 2006/1914, S.I. 2007/3101, S.I. 2008/1774, S.I. 2014/1101 and S.I. 2019/593.

(3)

S.I. 2023/953 (W. 155).