Public Health etc. (Scotland) Act 2008

15 Notifiable diseases and health risk states: duties on health boards

(1) Where—

(a) a health board receives information under—

(i) section 13(2) or (3); or

(ii) section 14(2) or (3); and

(b) that information relates to a patient who usually resides within the area of that health board,

that board must send a return, in writing, to the common services agency containing, in relation to each patient, the information mentioned in subsection (3) in so far as it is known to the board.

(2) The return under subsection (1) is to be sent—

(a) no later than the end of the week in which the information mentioned in subsection (1)(a) is received; or

(b) if it is not practicable to send the return by the end of that week, as soon as practicable afterwards.

(3) The information referred to in subsection (1) is—

(a) the patient’s postcode;

(b) the patient’s occupation;

(c) the patient’s sex;

(d) the patient’s date of birth;

(e) the—

(i) suspected disease; or

(ii) suspected health risk state; and

(f) the patient’s NHS identifier.

(4) Where—

(a) a health board receives information as mentioned in subsection (1)(a); and

(b) that information relates to a person who does not usually reside in the area of that health board,

the board must without delay transmit the information to the health board for the area in which the person usually resides.

(5) Where a health board receives information from another health board by virtue of subsection (4)—

(a) the board must send a return, in writing, to the common services agency containing, in relation to each patient, the information mentioned in subsection (3) in so far as it is known to the board; and

(b) subsection (2) applies to a return sent under this subsection as it applies to a return sent under subsection (1) with the modification that, for the reference to subsection (1)(a), there is substituted a reference to subsection (4).

(6) In subsection (2), “week” means a period of 7 days ending on Friday at the expiry of the normal working hours of the board’s principal office.