National Health Service Act 1977

29 Arrangements and regulations for general medical services. E+W+S

[F1 (1) It is the duty of every [F2 Health Authority], in accordance with regulations, to arrange as respects their [F3 area] with medical practitioners to provide personal medical services for all persons in the [area] who wish to take advantage of the arrangements.

(1A) The services so provided are referred to in this Act as “general medical services”.]

(2) Regulations may provide for the definition of the personal medical services to be provided and for securing that the arrangements will be such that all persons availing themselves of those services will receive adequate personal care and attendance, and the regulations shall include provision—

(a) for the preparation and publication of lists of medical practitioners who undertake to provide general medical services;

(b) for conferring a right on any person to choose, in accordance with the prescribed procedure, the medical practitioner by whom he is to be attended, subject to the consent of the practitioner so chosen and to any prescribed limit on the number of patients to be accepted by any practitioner;

(c) for the distribution among medical practitioners whose names are on the lists of any persons who have indicated a wish to obtain general medical services but who have not made any choice of medical practitioner or have been refused by the practitioner chosen;

(d) for the issue to patients or their personal representatives by medical practitioners providing those services of such certificates as may be prescribed being certificates reasonably required by them under or for the purposes of any enactment;

(e) for the removal from the list of medical practitioners undertaking to provide general medical services for persons in any [F4 area] of the name of any one in whose case it has been determined in such manner as may be prescribed that he has never provided, or has ceased to provide, such general medical services for persons in that [F4 area].

[F5 (f) for the making of arrangements for the temporary provision of general medical services [F6 in the area of a Health Authority];

(g) for the circumstances in which a name added to the list by virtue of subsection (6) below may be removed from it.]

(3) Regulations under subsection (2) above may provide for the personal medical services there mentioned to include the provision of, and services connected with, any such advice, examination and treatment as are mentioned in paragraph (b) of section 5(1) above.

[F7 (4) The remuneration to be paid under the arrangements mentioned in subsection (1) above to a practitioner who provides general medical services shall not, except in special circumstances, consist wholly or mainly of a fixed salary which has no reference to the number of patients for whom he has undertaken to provide such services.]

[F8 (5) Regulations shall—

(a) include provision for the making to a medical practitioner providing general medical services of payments in respect of qualifying services provided by a spouse or other relative of his; and

(b) provide that the rates and conditions of payment and the qualifying services in respect of which the payments may be made shall be such as may be determined by the Secretary of State after consultation with such bodies as he may recognise as representing such medical practitioners.]

[F9 (6) The persons with whom arrangements for the temporary provision of general medical services in [F10 an area] may be made by virtue of regulations under subsection (2) above include medical practitioners who are not on the list of medical practitioners providing such services in [F11 the area], and the power to prepare and publish lists of medical practitioners conferred by paragraph (a) of that subsection accordingly includes power to add the names of medical practitioners with whom such arrangements are made to the list.

(7) Regulations may provide that this Act and any regulations made under it shall apply in relation—

(a) to the making of arrangements for the temporary provision of general medical services; and

(b) to the provision of general medical services in pursuance of any such arrangements,

subject to such modifications as may be specified in the regulations.

(8) Where the registration of a medical practitioner in the register of medical practitioners is suspended—

(a) by a direction of the Health Committee of the General Medical Council under [F12 section 37(1) or (2) of the M1 Medical Act 1983] (unfitness to practice by reason of physical or mental condition);

(b) by an order of that Committee under [F12 section 38(1)] of that Act (order for immediate suspension); or

(c) by an interim order [F13 under section 42]of that Act,

the suspension shall not terminate any arrangements made with him for the provision of general medical services, but he shall not provide such services in person during the suspension.]

[F14 (9) Where the registration of a medical practitioner in the register of medical practitioners is suspended by a direction of the Committee on Professional Performance of the General Medical Council—

(a) under section 36A of the Medical Act 1983 (professional performance),

(b) under section 38(1) of that Act (order for immediate suspension), or

(c) under rules made by virtue of paragraph 5A(3) of Schedule 4 to that Act (procedure of committees),

the suspension shall not, except in so far as is provided by or determined in accordance with regulations under subsection (2) above, terminate any arrangements made with him for the provision of general medical services; but he shall not provide such services in person during the suspension.]

Textual Amendments

F1 S. 29(1)(1A) substituted for s. 29(1) by S.I. 1985/39, art. 7(3)(a)

F2 Words in s. 29(1) substituted (28.6.1995 for specified purposes and otherwise 1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 17, ss. 2(1)(3), 8(1), Sch. 1 Pt. I para. 18(a)(i) (with Sch. 2 para. 6)

F3 Words in s. 29(1) substituted (28.6.1995 for specified purposes and otherwise 1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 17, ss. 2(1)(3), 8(1), Sch. 1 Pt. I para. 18(a)(ii) (with Sch. 2 para. 6)

F4 Words in s. 29(2)(e) substituted (28.6.1995 for specified purposes and otherwise 1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 17, ss. 2(1)(3), 8(1), Sch. 1 Pt. I para. 18(b)(i) (with Sch. 2 para. 6)

F5 S. 29(2)(f)(g) added by Health and Social Security Adjudications Act 1983 (c. 41, SIF 113:3), s. 14, Sch. 6 para. 2(1)

F6 Words in s. 29(2)(f) substituted (28.6.1995 for specified purposes and otherwise 1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 17, ss. 2(1)(3), 8(1), Sch. 1 Pt. I para. 18(b)(ii) (with Sch. 2 para. 6)

F7 S. 29(4) ceased to have effect (prosp.) by National Health Service Act 1966 (c. 8, SIF 113:2), s. 10(3), (as substituted (29.8.1977) by Sch. 15 para. 37(b) of this Act)

F8 S. 29(5) added by Health Services Act 1980 (c. 53, SIF 113:2), s. 7

F9 S. 29(6)–(8) inserted by Health and Social Security Adjudications Act 1983 (c. 41, SIF 113:3), s. 14, Sch. 6 para. 2(2)

F10 Words in s. 29(6) substituted (28.6.1995 for specified purposes and otherwise 1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 17, ss. 2(1)(3), 8(1), Sch. 1 Pt. I para. 18(c)(i) (with Sch. 2 para. 6)

F11 Words in s. 29(6) substituted (28.6.1995 for specified purposes and otherwise 1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 17, ss. 2(1)(3), 8(1), Sch. 1 Pt. I para. 18(c)(ii) (with Sch. 2 para. 6)

F12 Words substituted by Medical Act 1983 (c. 54, SIF 83:1), s. 56(1), Sch. 5 para. 16(a)

F13 Words in s. 29(8)(c) substituted (1.5.1996) by 1995 c. 51, s. 4, Sch. para. 28(a); S.I. 1996/271, art. 2, Sch.

F14 S. 29(9) added (1.7.1997) by 1995 c. 51, s. 4, Sch. para. 28(b); S.I. 1997/1315, art. 2

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 29 extended by Health and Medicines Act 1988 (c. 49, SIF 113:2), s. 17(1)

C2 S. 29 restricted (28.11.1997) by 1997 c. 46, s. 1(5)(a); S.I. 1997/2620, art. 2(2)(a)

C3 S. 29(4) modified by S.I. 1974/160, reg. 19(16)(a) (as substituted by S.I. 1985/1053, reg. 3(5)

Marginal Citations

M1 1983 c. 54(83:1).