The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations 2015

[F1 Direct booking by NHS 111 E+W

11B.— (1) A contractor must ensure that as a minimum the following number of appointments during core hours for its registered patients are made available per day for direct booking by [F2 or via a service approved by the Board that is or may be accessed via] NHS 111—

(a) one, where a contractor has 3,000 registered patients or fewer; or

(b) one for each whole 3,000 registered patients, where a contractor has more than 3,000 registered patients.

(2) The requirements in sub-paragraphs (1) and (3) do not apply where—

(a) the Board has agreed to a request from the contractor to suspend the requirements for operational reasons; or

(b) the contractor does not have access to computer systems and software which would enable it to offer the service described in sub-paragraph (1).

(3) A contractor must—

(a) configure its computerised systems to allow direct booking by NHS 111;

(b) monitor its booking system for appointments booked by NHS 111;

(c) assess the Post Event Message received from NHS 111 in order to decide whether an alternative to the booked appointment should be arranged, such as a telephone call to the patient or an appointment with another healthcare professional and where appropriate, make those arrangements; and

(d) co-operate with the Board in its oversight of direct booking by NHS 111 by providing any information relating to direct booking by NHS 111 which is reasonably required by the Board.

(4) In this paragraph, “Post Event Message” means the electronic message which is sent to a contractor at the end of a telephone call to NHS 111.]

[F3 (5) In order to assist in the management of a serious or potentially serious risk to human health arising as a consequence of a disease being, or in anticipation of a disease being imminently—

(a) pandemic; and

(b) a serious risk or potentially a serious risk to human health,

the Board may with the agreement of the Secretary of State make an announcement to the effect that the minimum numbers of appointments mentioned in paragraph (1) are modified in the circumstances specified (which may limit the area to which the modification relates), and for the duration of the period specified, in the announcement, and where the Board does so, the minimum numbers are as so modified.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Sch. 3 para. 11B inserted (1.10.2019) by The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts and Personal Medical Services Agreements) (Amendment) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/1137), regs. 1(2), 13

F2 Words in Sch. 3 para. 11B(1) inserted (27.3.2020) by The National Health Service (Amendments Relating to the Provision of Primary Care Services During a Pandemic etc.) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/351), regs. 1(2), 16(a)

F3 Sch. 3 para. 11B(5) inserted (27.3.2020) by The National Health Service (Amendments Relating to the Provision of Primary Care Services During a Pandemic etc.) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/351), regs. 1(2), 16(b)