The National Health Service (General Ophthalmic Services) (Scotland) Regulations 2006

Payments S

13.—(1) Any claim by a contractor for fees in respect of the provision of general ophthalmic services shall be made by completing or securing the completion of an eye examination form and sending it to the Agency within 6 months after the date of completion of such provision of the services.

(2) Any such claim shall be signed–

(a) if the service was provided on behalf of a contractor by a deputy or employee who is also a contractor, by the deputy or employee who shall give the name of the contractor on whose behalf the service was provided;

(b) if the service was provided on the contractor's behalf by a person whose name is included in the second part of the Ophthalmic List by the person who assisted in the provision of general ophthalmic services who shall also give the name of the contractor on whose behalf the service was provided; and

(c) in other cases by the contractor.

(3) A signatory shall sign any such claim in ink with his or her initials or forename and with his or her surname in his [F1 or her] own handwriting and not by means of a stamp.

(4) Where an eye examination is undertaken by an ophthalmic medical practitioner or optician who assists the contractor in the provision of general ophthalmic services that ophthalmic medical practitioner or optician shall complete a claim for remuneration in respect of that eye examination which–

(a) is separate from any claim form in respect of eye examinations given by the contractor personally; and

(b) identifies the ophthalmic medical practitioner or optician who undertook the eye examination and his or her status as an ophthalmic medical practitioner or optician who assists the contractor in the provision of general ophthalmic services.

(5) Except as provided in the regulations, in the Statement, or in the National Health Service (Charges for Overseas Visitors) (Scotland) Regulations 1989 M1 , or in sub paragraph (6), a contractor shall not demand or accept or cause to be demanded or accepted from any patient or from other persons the payment of any fee or other remuneration in respect of the provision of general ophthalmic services.

(6) A contractor shall be entitled to demand and recover from a patient or person having charge of a patient a sum in respect of loss of remunerative time resulting from a failure by that patient to keep an appointment.

(7) A contractor shall not demand or accept or cause to be demanded or accepted from the Agency the payment of any fee or other remuneration in respect of any item of service–

(a) which has not been provided under the general ophthalmic services; or

(b) for which a claim has already been submitted to the Agency.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in sch. 1 para. 13(3) inserted (1.4.2007) by The National Health Service (General Ophthalmic Services) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2007 (S.S.I. 2007/193), regs. 1, 2(15)(f)

Marginal Citations

M1 S.I. 1989/364, amended by S.I. 1992/411, 1994/1770, 1998/251, S.S.I. 2004/369, and S.S.I. 2006/141 with effect from 1st April 2006.