These Regulations amend the National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (“the principal Regulations”) which regulate contracts for the provision of general medical services under the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978.

These Regulations make changes to the principal Regulations as a consequence of new arrangements for the independent prescribing of drugs, medicines and appliances by nurses. Independent nurse prescribers, unless they are community practitioner nurse prescribers, will no longer be limited to prescribing from a particular formulary.

Regulation 2(a) substitutes a new definition of “independent nurse prescriber”.

Regulation 2(b) substitutes a new definition of “supplementary prescriber”.