General Medical Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997

Obtaining child health surveillance services

27.—(1) A parent may, in relation to a child of his who is under the age of 5 years, apply to a doctor—

(a) who is—

(i) the doctor on whose list the child is included (in this paragraph referred to as “the child’s doctor”);

(ii) a doctor with whom the child’s doctor is in partnership; or

(iii) a doctor with whom the child’s doctor is associated in a group practice; and

(b) whose name is included in the medical list and in the child health surveillance list,

for the provision of child health surveillance services in respect of that child for a period ending on the date on which that child attains the age of 5 years.

(2) A doctor whose name is included in the medical list may, in respect of any person on his list or on the list of a doctor with whom he is in partnership or with whom he is associated in a group practice, undertake to provide child health surveillance services, provided that—

(a) his name is also included in the child health surveillance list; and

(b) the person in question is a child who is under the age of 5 years.

(3) A doctor who has undertaken, pursuant to paragraph (2), to provide child health surveillance services to any child shall, in respect of that child—

(a) provide all the services described in paragraph 1 of Schedule 4 other than any examination so described which the parent refuses to allow the child to undergo, until the date upon which the child attains the age of 5 years;

(b) maintain such records as are specified in paragraph 2 of that Schedule; and

(c) furnish the Board with such information as is specified in paragraph 3 of that Schedule in accordance with the requirements of that paragraph.

(4) An undertaking to provide child health surveillance services shall cease forthwith to be effective if—

(a) either—

(i) the parent informs the doctor; or

(ii) the doctor informs the parent,

that he wishes the undertaking to have no further effect;

(b) the child has been removed from the doctor’s list or from that of his partner or from that of a doctor with whom he is associated in a group practice, as the case may be, and has not been transferred to any other of those lists;

(c) the parent—

(i) has been invited to arrange for the child to attend for an examination referred to in paragraph 1(b) of Schedule 4; and

(ii) fails within 42 days to respond to that invitation; or

(d) any examination referred to in paragraph 1(b) of that Schedule is undertaken in respect of the child otherwise than by the doctor or a person acting on his behalf.

(5) Where, in accordance with paragraph (4), an undertaking has ceased to be effective, the doctor shall forthwith—

(a) in a case to which sub-paragraph (a), (c) or (d) of that paragraph applies, so inform the Board in writing; and

(b) in a case to which sub-paragraph (c) or (d) of that paragraph applies, also so inform the parent in writing.