National Health Service (Amendment) Act 1949

25 Payment by local health authorities of certain remuneration and expenses to medical practitioners.

(1) Where a medical practitioner—

(a) carries out a medical examination of any person with a view to an urgency order being made under section eleven of the Lunacy Act, 1890 ;

(b) is called in by a justice of the peace under section sixteen of the said Act and carries out a medical examination of any person brought before the justice under that section;

(c) carries out a medical examination of any person with a view to his being placed under section three of the Mental Deficiency Act, 1913, in an institution within the meaning of that Act or sent to such an institution under section six of that Act; or

(d) carries out a medical examination of any person with a view to his treatment as a voluntary patient under subsection (2) of section one of the Mental Treatment Act, 1930, or his treatment as a temporary patient under section five of that Act;

the local health authority for the area where the person examined resides shall pay to that medical practitioner reasonable remuneration in respect of the said examination and in respect of any certificate or recommendation given by him with regard to the person examined and the amount of any expenses reasonably incurred by him in connection with the examination or the giving of any such certificate or recommendation:

Provided that—

(a) no payment shall be made under this subsection to a medical practitioner in respect of an examination carried out as part of his duty to provide general medical services for the person examined or in respect of an examination carried out or any certificate or recommendation given as part of his duty as an officer of a Regional Hospital Board or a Board of Governors of a teaching hospital;

(b) this subsection shall only apply in a case where it is intended, when the medical examination is carried out, that, if an urgency order or a summary reception order is made or the person examined is placed in or sent to such an institution as aforesaid or is treated as a voluntary or temporary patient as aforesaid, the whole cost of his maintenance and treatment will be defrayed out of moneys provided by Parliament under the Act of 1946.

(2) Section two hundred and eighty-five of the Lunacy Act, 1890 (which provides for the payment of remuneration and expenses to medical practitioners called in under the said section sixteen, if the justice of the peace so orders) shall cease to have effect.