General Medical Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997

Transfer of responsibility, absences, deputies, assistants and partners

23.—(1) Subject to sub-paragraphs (2) to (7), a doctor shall give treatment personally.

(2) Subject to sub-paragraphs (3), (5) and (6), and to any out of hours arrangements made under paragraph 20(2), a doctor (in this sub-paragraph referred to as “the patient’s doctor”) shall be under no obligation to give treatment personally to a patient provided that reasonable steps are taken to ensure the continuity of the patient’s treatment, and in those circumstances the treatment may be given—

(a) by another doctor acting as a deputy, whether or not he is a partner or assistant of the patient’s doctor; or

(b) in the case of treatment which it is clinically reasonable in the circumstances to delegate someone other than a doctor, by a person whom the doctor has authorised and who he is satisfied is competent to carry out such treatment.

(3) Subject to sub-paragraph (4), in the case of maternity medical services a doctor whose name is included in the obstetric list shall not arrange for the provision of such services by another doctor unless that doctor’s name is included in the obstetric list.

(4) Sub-paragraph (3) shall not apply where there has been a summons to an obstetric emergency.

(5) In the case of child health surveillance services, a doctor who has, pursuant to regulation 27, undertaken to provide such services shall not arrange for the provision of such services by—

(a) another doctor unless that doctor’s name is included in the child health surveillance list; or

(b) any other person without the consent of the Board.

(6) In the case of minor surgery services, a doctor who has, pursuant to regulation 36, undertaken to provide such services shall not arrange for the provision of such services by—

(a) another doctor unless that doctor’s name is included in the minor surgery list; or

(b) any other person.

(7) In this paragraph “a summons to an obstetric emergency” means a summons to the doctor by a midwife or by or on behalf of the patient to attend when medical attention is required urgently by a woman or her baby during pregnancy, labour or the post-natal period.