The National Health Service (General Dental Services Contracts) Regulations 2005

Referral services E+W

2.—(1) A contractor which provides one or more of the additional services specified in paragraph 1 as a referral service shall, at the time of the first examination of the patient, ensure that the patient is provided with a referral treatment plan on a form supplied for that purpose by [F1 NHS England] which shall specify—

(a) the name of the patient;

(b) the name of the contractor;

(c) the particulars of the places where the patient will receive the referral service to be provided to him by the contractor;

(d) the telephone number at which the contractor may be contacted during its normal surgery hours;

(e) details of the services which are at the date of that examination considered to be necessary for the contractor to provide having regard to the reason for the referral; and

(f) any proposals the contractor may have for private services as an alternative to the services proposed under the contract, including particulars of the cost to the patient if he were to accept the provision of private services.

(2) If the patient having considered the referral treatment plan provided in accordance with sub-paragraph (1), decides to accept the provision of private services in place of all or part of services under the contract, the contractor shall ensure that the patient signs that plan in the appropriate place to indicate that he has understood the nature of private services to be provided and his acceptance of those private services.

(3) Where the services included in the referral treatment plan need to be varied for clinical reasons, the contractor shall provide the patient with a revised referral treatment plan in accordance with sub-paragraph (1).

(4) The contractor shall, subject to the termination of the contract, or being unable to complete a course of treatment in accordance with paragraph 6(5) or (6) of Schedule 3 (course of treatment), provide the services which are detailed in the referral treatment plan, or where a revised treatment plan is provided pursuant to sub-paragraph (3), pursuant to that revised treatment plan.

(5) This paragraph shall not apply where a patient has been referred to the contractor for advanced mandatory services limited only to examination and advice, and the contractor only provides examination and advice in respect of that patient.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in Regulations substituted (6.11.2023) by The Health and Care Act 2022 (Further Consequential Amendments) (No. 2) Regulations 2023 (S.I. 2023/1071), reg. 1(1), Sch. para. 1