These Regulations amend the General Medical Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 (“the principal Regulations”).

Regulation 5 inserts a new regulation 37A into the principal Regulations. This regulation enables a Health and Social Services Board to establish one or more general medical services local development schemes (“LDSs”).

The new regulation 37A also requires a Board to consult its Local Medical Committee before establishing LDSs and before making any determination of remuneration for LDSs; to make payments in accordance with the determination for each financial year to doctors on the medical list who qualify; and to publish certain information about the LDSs established in its area.

Regulations 4 and 6 make consequential amendments to regulations 37 and 39 of the principal Regulations.

Regulation 9 and the Schedule insert a new Schedule 8A into the principal Regulations, which makes further provision about LDSs. In particular, Schedule 8A defines an LDS and provides that a Board must be satisfied of specified criteria before it can establish an LDS. It provides that LDSs cannot be used to duplicate any payment for which provision is made in the Statement referred to in regulation 37(1) of the principal Regulations, but may be used to make payments in addition to payments made under the Statement.

Regulations 2, 3, 7 and 8 amend the principal Regulations to substitute the term “General Practice (GP) Registrar” for “trainee general practitioner” with a small change in the definition, and also make other consequential and minor amendments.