General Medical Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997
Part IGeneral
1Citation and commencement
2Interpretation
3Scope and terms of service
Part IIThe Medical List
4Medical list
5Amendment of or withdrawal from the medical list
6Removal from the medical list
7The Medical Committee
8Filling or dispersal of medical practice vacancies
9Application to fill a vacancy
10Application to practise in partnership
11Application to practise as a restricted list or restricted services principal
12Board’s decision on applications and inclusion in the medical list
13Conditions under which general medical services are to be provided
14Variation of conditions
15Appeal to the Department
16Local directory of family doctors
17Amendment of local directory
Part IIIGeneral medical services other than child health surveillance services, contraceptive services, maternity medical services and minor surgery services
18Doctors' lists
19Application for services
20Assignment of persons to doctors
21Change of doctor
22Removal from doctor’s list
23Limitation on number of persons on doctors' lists
24Temporary provision of services
25Temporary residents
Part IVChild health surveillance services, contraceptive services, maternity medical services and minor surgery services
26Child health surveillance list
27Obtaining child health surveillance services
28Obtaining contraceptive services
29Obstetric Committee
30Obstetric list
31Admission to the obstetric list
32Review of the obstetric list
33Removal from the obstetric list
34Obtaining maternity medical services
35Minor surgery list
36Obtaining minor surgery services
Part VPayments to doctors
37Payments
38Payments to suspended doctors
39Claims and overpayments
Part VIMiscellaneous
40Determination of question of whether a substance is a drug, and recovery of cost
41Publication of particulars
42Appointment of medical adviser
43Guidance to doctors
44Revocations
SCHEDULE 1Provisions Conferring Powers Exercised in Making these Regulations
SCHEDULE 2Terms of Service for Doctors
1Interpretation
2General
3A doctor’s patients
4A doctor who is elderly or infirm or who has...
5Acceptance of patients
6A doctor may— (a) undertake to provide contraceptive services to...
7Notwithstanding that the person concerned is not on his list,...
8Where a doctor whose name is included in the obstetric...
9Termination of responsibility for patients
10(1) Where— (a) a person on a doctor’s list has...
11Where a doctor informs the Agency, in writing, that he...
12(1) A doctor with whom an arrangement has been made...
13Services to patients
14Provision of services to patients during and outside normal hours
15(1) Subject to sub-paragraph (2), unless prevented by an emergency,...
16Newly registered patients
17Patients not seen within 3 years
18Patients aged 75 years and over
19Transfer of responsibility, absences, deputies, assistants and partners
20(1) In this paragraph and in paragraph 21—
21(1) Subject to paragraph 22, where it appears to the...
22(1) Where it appears to the Board, whether after a...
23(1) Subject to sub-paragraphs (2) to (7), a doctor shall...
24(1) In relation to his obligations under these terms of...
25(1) A doctor shall inform the Board of the arrangements...
26(1) In this paragraph, “organisation providing deputy doctors” means a...
27A doctor shall not engage another doctor as a deputy,...
28A doctor shall not engage as a deputy or employ...
29(1) A doctor shall— (a) inform the Board of the...
30(1) A doctor acting as a deputy shall be entitled...
31When issuing any document under these terms of service, a...
32Practice Premises
33Arrangements at practice premises
34A doctor who— (a) intends to operate an appointments system;...
35Employees
36Doctors' availability to patients
37Availability to patients outside normal hours
38Doctors available for only 4 days a week
39Practice area
40Notification of change of place of residence
41Records
42Certification
43Fees
44(1) Where a person from whom a doctor received a...
45Subject to sub-paragraphs (f), (j) and (o) of paragraph 43,...
46A doctor shall not, without reasonable excuse, demand or accept...
47A doctor shall take all practicable steps to ensure that...
48Prescribing
49(1) In the course of treating a patient to whom...
50For the purposes of paragraphs 48 and 49 in their...
51Practice leaflet
52Complaints
53(1) A doctor shall co-operate with any investigation of a...
54Reports to medical officer of the Department
55Inquiries about prescriptions and referrals
56Annual reports
57Incorporation of provisions of regulations etc.
SCHEDULE 3
Part IInformation to be provided by a board to the medical committee in relation to the filling or dispersal of a medical practice vacancy on the death, withdrawal or removal of a doctor from the medical list
1The full name, age, practice address and sex of the...
2Whether or not the doctor was required under regulation 12...
3In respect of a single-handed doctor, whether the practice premises...
4The full name, age, practice address or addresses and sex...
5An account of any report from the Local Medical Committee....
6Any other information that the Board considers to be relevant....
Part IIAInformation and undertakings to be included in any application to practise
1Full name.
2Sex.
3Date of birth.
4Private address and telephone number.
5Whether or not his name is included in the medical...
6Whether the application is in respect of a new practice...
7Notification of address or addresses of proposed practice premises.
8Notification of the geographical boundary of the proposed practice area...
9Undertaking that, if accepting as a patient a person who,...
10Proposed place of residence (including telephone number and distance from...
11Telephone number at which prepared to receive messages.
12Name and private address of— (a) any intended partnership and...
13Whether the applicant intends to practise as—
14Where the applicant intends to practise as a job-sharing doctor,...
15Notification of the proposed days and hours of attendance.
16In the case of an application by a doctor for...
Part IIBAdditional information to be provided by a doctor in connection with an application to fill a vacancy
1Whether applying to succeed to a practice, or be appointed...
2Professional experience (including starting and finishing dates to each appointment)...
3The name and address of each doctor whose name is...
4Particulars of covenants restricting medical practice by the applicant in...
5Names and addresses of two referees.
Part IICAdditional evidence, information and undertakings to be provided by a doctor whose name is not already on the medical list
1Medical qualifications, where obtained and evidence that the applicant is...
2Declaration that he is a registered medical practitioner, included in...
3Registration number in the Medical Register and date of first...
4Present or most recent appointment and, if in general practice,...
5Particulars of any outstanding application for inclusion in the medical...
6Whether or not applied/intending to apply for inclusion in—
7Information about general medical services to be provided and, in...
8Undertaking to be bound by the terms of service.
Part IIIInformation and undertakings to be provided by the existing partners in relation to an application to practise in partnership
1Reason for application (whether an additional partner or replacement or...
2Particulars of each existing partner who will form part of...
3Whether or not income from— (a) other health service appointments;...
4Declaration that each member of the proposed partnership shall discharge...
5Declaration that none of the partners shall either jointly or...
6Undertaking to enter into an Agreement in writing embodying all...
7Undertaking to forward a copy of the Agreement mentioned in...
Part IVInformation to be included in an application for the variation of a condition imposed in connection with inclusion in the medical list
1Full name.
2Private address.
3Name and private address of each partner with whom the...
4Whether the applicant wishes to practise as—
Part VInformation to be supplied by the agency with regard to doctors' lists
1The number of patients included in the doctor’s list, in...
2The number of children included in the doctor’s list for...
3The number of patients included in the doctor’s list for...
4The number of patients included for whom fees and allowances...
Part VIInformation to be supplied by doctor applying for inclusion in the child health surveillance list
1Full name.
2Address of practice premises.
3Registration number in the Medical Register and date of first...
4Details of relevant medical experience after date of first registration...
5Title of any post-graduate qualification held and date awarded.
Part VIICriteria for inclusion and retention in the child health surveillance list
1A doctor will have his name included in the child...
2In order to ensure continued inclusion in the child health...
Part VIIIInformation to be supplied by doctor applying for inclusion in the minor surgery list
1Full name.
2Address of practice premises.
3Registration number in the Medical Register and date of first...
4Details of relevant medical experience after date of first registration...
5Details of premises and equipment to be used.
6Title of any post-graduate qualification held and date awarded.
Part IXCriteria for inclusion and retention in the minor surgery list
1Subject to paragraph 4, a doctor shall have his name...
2Quinquennial Review
3Premises/facilities
4Where a doctor’s name has previously been included in the...
5Any other person in the practice involved in minor surgery...
SCHEDULE 4Child Health Surveillance Services
1The services referred to in regulation 27(3)(a) shall comprise—
2The records mentioned in regulation 27(3)(b) shall comprise an accurate...
3The information mentioned in regulation 27(3)(c) shall comprise—
SCHEDULE 5Maternity Medical Services
1A doctor with whom a woman has made an arrangement...
2A doctor with whom a woman has made an arrangement...
3A doctor with whom a woman has made an arrangement...
4A doctor with whom a woman has made an arrangement...
5Where the doctor is aware that an arrangement under regulation...
6The doctor shall be relieved of his obligations under paragraph...
SCHEDULE 6Constitution of the Obstetric Committee
1The membership of the Obstetric Committee shall consist of—
2The chairman and vice-chairman shall be appointed from the members...
3All members shall be appointed for a period of 3...
4A member may be reappointed to the Obstetric Committee on...
5A member may resign from the Obstetric Committee by giving...
6In the case of a vacancy in membership occurring, a...
7The chairman or vice-chairman and 2 other members shall form...
8The procedure shall be such as may be determined by...
SCHEDULE 7Minor Surgery Procedures
SCHEDULE 8Doctors' Hours
Part IInformation to be included with any application in relation to the times at which a doctor is to be available
1The address of the proposed practice premises.
2The days in each week during which the doctor will...
3The hours of each such attendance by the doctor.
4The hours of any attendance by the doctor on those...
5The frequency, duration and purpose of any clinic provided by...
6The estimated total time each week to be spent making...
7The doctor’s proposals for notifying patients of his availability at...
8The terms of any condition imposed by the Board under...
Part IIAdditional information to be included in any application by a doctor who is a restricted services principal or a restricted list principal
1In the case of a restricted services principal—
2In the case of a restricted list principal, the name,...
Part IIIAdditional information to be included in any application by a doctor who seeks normally to be available on only 4 days in each week
1A brief description of each health-related activity with reference to...
2The days in each week during which the doctor will...
3The number of hours in each week which are likely...
Part IVIllustrative list of health-related activities
SCHEDULE 9List of Medical Certificates
SCHEDULE 10Drugs and other Substances not to be Prescribed for supply under Pharmaceutical Services
SCHEDULE 11Drugs and other Substances to be Prescribed for supply under Pharmaceutical Services only in certain circumstances
SCHEDULE 12Information to be Included in Practice Leaflets
Personal and professional details of the doctor
1Full name.
2Sex.
3Medical qualifications registered by the General Medical Council.
4Date and place of first registration as a medical practitioner....
Practice information
5The times approved by the Board during which the doctor...
6Whether an appointments system is operated by the doctor for...
7If there is an appointments system, the method of obtaining...
8The method of obtaining a non-urgent domiciliary visit and the...
9The doctor’s arrangements for providing personal medical services when he...
10The address of any premises approved under paragraph 37 of...
11Where the doctor has made an out of hours arrangement...
12The method by which patients are to obtain further prescriptions...
13The arrangements (if any) for dispensing prescriptions.
14If the doctor provides clinics for his patients, their frequency,...
15The numbers of staff, other than doctors, assisting the doctor...
16Whether or not the doctor provides child health surveillance services,...
17Whether the doctor works single-handed, in partnership, part-time or as...
18The nature of any arrangements whereby the doctor or his...
19The geographical boundary of his practice area by reference to...
20Whether the doctor’s premises have suitable access for all disabled...
21If an assistant is employed, details for him as specified...
22If the practice is either a general practitioner training practice...
SCHEDULE 13Information to be Provided in Annual Reports
1Particulars of the doctor’s other commitments as a medical practitioner,...
2As respects orders for drugs and appliances, the doctor’s arrangements...
3Information relating to the referral of patients to other services...
4Information relating to the numbers of patients on the doctor’s...
5The number of complaints received in accordance with paragraph 52...
SCHEDULE 14Constitution of the Medical Committee
1Membership
2The chairperson shall be a doctor on the medical list...
3Four of the other members shall be doctors on the...
4Two of the other members shall be lay persons and...
5The nominations referred to in paragraphs 3 and 4 shall...
6To ensure that a quorum is present at meetings of...
7The term of office of members and deputies shall be...
8Where the place of a member or deputy becomes vacant...
9A member of the Medical Committee may resign his membership...
10Procedure at meetings
11At any such meeting, 4 members of the Medical Committee...
12A member may vote upon any matter which touches the...
13The proceedings of the Medical Committee shall not be invalidated...
14The Medical Adviser of the relevant Board shall have the...
SCHEDULE 15Regulations Revoked

1997 No. 380

HEALTH AND PERSONAL SOCIAL SERVICES

General Medical Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997

Made

Coming into operation

The Department of Health and Social Services, in exercise of the powers set out in Schedule 1 and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf, and in conjunction with the Department of Finance and Personnel and after consultation with such organisations as appear to the Department to be representative of the medical profession as required by Article 56(5) of the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 19721, hereby makes the following Regulations: