Health and Social Care Act 2001

Health and Social Care Act 2001

2001 CHAPTER 15

Commentary on Sections

Part 1: National Health Service.Health Service Funding

General and personal medical services, general dental services, general ophthalmic services and pharmaceutical services

Section 21: Conditional inclusion in medical, dental, ophthalmic and pharmaceutical lists

101. Section 21 inserts new section 43ZA into the 1977 Act. Subsection (1) of the new section provides powers to make regulations providing for a person’s inclusion in a GMS, GDS, GOS or PhS list to be subject to conditions determined by the Health Authority; for the Health Authority to vary the conditions or impose new ones and for the consequences of a practitioner failing to comply with a condition, which could include removal from a list.

102. Subsection (2) requires that the imposition of conditions must relate to preventing any prejudice to the efficiency of the service or preventing any fraudulent acts.

103. Subsection (4)(a) provides that if the regulations provide for a practitioner’s removal from a list for breach of condition, the regulations may also prevent the practitioner from withdrawing from the list whilst the Health Authority are investigating in order to see whether there are grounds for removal, or after the Health Authority have made the decision to remove the practitioner but before they have given effect to that decision. Subsection (4)(b) requires the regulations to include provision for a practitioner to be given notice of any allegations against him; for him to put his case at a hearing before a Health Authority makes a decision , and for him to be informed of a Health Authority’s decision, the reasons for it and his right of appeal.

104. Subsection (5) requires the regulations to provide for a right of appeal to the FHSAA against a Health Authority’s decision to impose conditions, to vary a condition, to vary terms of service or to remove a person from a list for a breach of a condition. The regulations may provide for a Health Authority decision not to have effect until the FHSAA has determined the appeal (and must do so in relation to a decision to remove the person from a list).

105. Subsection (7) provides that regulations may provide for a Health Authority to notify prescribed persons or persons of prescribed descriptions of any decisions they make to conditionally include practitioners in a list or remove such persons from a list for breach of condition. They may also supply any related information.