The National Health Service (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) Amendment Regulations 1998

Statutory Instruments

1998 No. 491

NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE, ENGLAND AND WALES

The National Health Service (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) Amendment Regulations 1998

Made

26th February 1998

Laid before Parliament

6th March 1998

Coming into force

1st April 1998

The Secretary of State for Health, in exercise of powers conferred on him by sections 77 and 126(4) of the National Health Service Act 1977(1) and of all other powers enabling him in that behalf, hereby makes the following Regulations:—

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the National Health Service (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) Amendment Regulations 1998 and shall come into force on 1st April 1998.

(2) In these Regulations, “the principal Regulations” means the National Health Service (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) Regulations 1989(2).

Amendment of amounts specified in the principal Regulations

2.  For each amount specified in column (3) of the Schedule to these Regulations, where it appears in the provision of the principal Regulations specified in relation to it in column (1) (the subject matter of which is indicated in column (2)), there shall be substituted the amount specified in relation to it in column (4).

Transitional provisions

3.  Where, on or after 1st April 1998—

(a) any appliance specified in Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations is supplied pursuant to any order given before that date; or

(b) any pre-payment certificate is granted under regulation 8 of the principal Regulations pursuant to an application under that regulation which was received before that date,

the principal Regulations shall have effect in relation to that supply or, as the case may be, that grant as if regulation 2 of these Regulations had not come into force.

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Health

Alan Milburn

Minister of State,

Department of Health

26th February 1998

Regulation 2

SCHEDULE AMOUNTS SUBSTITUTED IN THE PRINCIPAL REGULATIONS

(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)
Provision in theprincipal Regulations	Subject matter	Old amount	New amount
Regulation 3—	Supply of drugs and appliances by chemists—
paragraph (1)(a)	charge for elastic hosiery—
	per item	£5.65	£5.80
	per pair	£11.30	£11.60
paragraph (1)(c)	charge for drugs and for appliances not specified in paragraph 1(a)	£5.65	£5.80
paragraph (3)	charge for drugs supplied by instalments	£5.65	£5.80
Regulation 4—	Supply of drugs and appliances by doctors—
paragraph (1)(a)	charge for elastic hosiery—
	per item	£5.65	£5.80
	per pair	£11.30	£11.60
paragraph (1)(b)	charge for drugs and for appliances not specified in paragraph 1(a)	£5.65	£5.80
paragraph (3)	charge for drugs supplied by instalments	£5.65	£5.80
Regulation 5—	Supply of drugs and appliances to out-patients by Health Authorities and NHS trusts—
paragraph (1)(a)	charge for elastic hosiery—
	per item	£5.65	£5.80
	per pair	£11.30	£11.60
paragraph (1)(c)	charge for tights	£11.30	£11.60
paragraph (1)(d)	charge for drugs and for appliances not specified in paragraph 1(a) or (c), or in Schedule 1	£5.65	£5.80
paragraph (3)	charge for drugs supplied by instalments	£5.65	£5.80
Regulation 8(5)	Pre-payment certificate for—
	4 months	£29.30	£30.10
	12 months	£80.50	£82.70
Schedule 1—	Charges for fabric supports and wigs—
	surgical brassiere	£19.75	£19.75
	abdominal or spinal support	£29.05	£29.50
	stock modacrylic wig	£47.00	£48.00
	partial human hair wig	£123.00	£126.00
	full bespoke human hair wig	£179.50	£184.50

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations further amend the National Health Service (Charge for Drugs and Appliances) Regulation 1989 (“the principal Regulations”) which provide for the making and recovery of charges for drugs and appliances supplied by doctors and chemists providing pharmaceutical services, and by Health Authorities and NHS trusts to out-patients.

Amendments made to the principal Regulations by regulation 2 and the Schedule increase the charge for items on prescription or supplied to out-patients from £5.65 to £5.80. The charge for elastic stockings is increased from £5.65 to £5.80 each (from £11.30 to £11.60 per pair) and that for tights from £11.30 to £11.60. The charges for partial human hair wigs and modacrylic wigs are increased from £123.00 to £126.00 and from £47.00 to £48.00 respectively. The charge for full human hair wigs is increased from £179.50 to £184.50. The charge for fabric supports is increased from £29.05 to £29.50. The sums prescribed for the grant of pre-payment certificates are increased from £29.30 to £30.10 for a four month certificate and from £80.50 to £82.70 for a twelve month certificate.

These Regulations also make transitional arrangements in regulation 3 in respect of pre-payment certificates applied for and appliances ordered before the coming into force of these Regulations.

(1)

1977 c. 49; see section 128(1) as amended by the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 (c. 19) (“the 1990 Act”), section 26(2)(g) and (i), for the definitions of “prescribed” and “regulations”. Section 126(4) was amended by the 1990 Act, section 65(2).

(2)

S.I. 1989/419, amended by S.I. 1990/537, 1991/579, 1992/365, 1993/420, 1994/690, 1994/2402, 1995/643, 1995/2737, 1996/583 and 1997/559.