General Medical Services (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the General Medical Services (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998 and shall come into operation on 30th January 1998.

(2) In these Regulations, the “principal Regulations” means the General Medical Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997(1).

Amendment of regulation 2 of the principal Regulations

2.  In regulation 2 of the principal Regulations (interpretation), omit the definition “trainee general practitioner” and insert the following definition in the appropriate alphabetical position—

““General Practice (GP) Registrar” means a doctor who is being trained in general practice by a doctor whose name is included in the medical list;”.

Amendment of regulation 16 of the principal Regulations

3.  In regulation 16 of the principal Regulations (local directory of family doctors), in paragraph 1(f), for “trainee general practitioners” substitute “General Practice (GP) Registrars”.

Amendment of regulation 37 of the principal Regulations

4.  In regulation 37 of the principal Regulations (payments to doctors), at the beginning of paragraph (1), insert “Subject to regulation 37A,”.

Insertion of regulation 37A into the principal Regulations

5.  After regulation 37 insert—

“GMS local development schemes

37A.— (1) A Board may as respects any financial year establish one or more GMS local development schemes.

(2) Schedule 8A defines a GMS local development scheme, and makes further provision in connection with such schemes.

(3) The Board shall consult the Local Medical Committee—

(a) before establishing a GMS local development scheme; and

(b) before making any determination of remuneration for the purposes of a GMS local development scheme, and before amending or revoking any such determination.

(4) In respect of each financial year a Board shall make payments in accordance with the determination to those doctors whose names are included in the medical list who qualify by virtue of the determination for such payments.

(5) As soon as reasonably possible after the end of each financial year, a Board shall publish the following information about the GMS local development schemes established in its area as respects that financial year—

(a) the aggregate amount of all the payments under paragraph (4) made or due to doctors in respect of that financial year for all the Board’s GMS local development schemes taken together;

(b) the number of such doctors; and

(c) a description of the aspects of general medical services which were the subject of the Board’s GMS local development schemes in that financial year.”.

Amendment of regulation 39 of the principal Regulations

6.  In regulation 39 of the principal Regulations (claims and overpayments), in paragraph (1), at the end insert “or (as the case may be) within the terms of a GMS local development scheme”.

Amendment of Schedule 2 to the principal Regulations

7.  In Schedule 2 to the principal Regulations (terms of service for doctors)—

(a) in paragraph 1 (interpretation), in the definition of “assistant”, for “trainee general practitioner” substitute “General Practice (GP) Registrar”;

(b) in paragraph 12 (which concerns the termination of an arrangement for maternity medical services), in sub-paragraphs (1) and (3), for “regulation 34(1)(a)” substitute “regulation 34(1)”;

(c) in paragraph 26 (organisations providing deputy doctors), in sub-paragraph (7), for “in response to a request for evidence” substitute “as a result of evidence provided”; and

(d) in paragraph 27 (which requires doctors who are engaged as deputies or employed as assistants to satisfy certain conditions), in sub-paragraph (c), for “trainee general practitioner” substitute “General Practice (GP) Registrar”.

Amendment of Schedule 3 to the principal Regulations

8.  In Part IIB of Schedule 3 to the principal Regulations (additional information to be provided by a doctor in connection with an application to fill a vacancy), in each of paragraphs 2(a) and 3, for “trainee” substitute “General Practice (GP) Registrar”.

Insertion of Schedule 8A into the principal Regulations

9.  After Schedule 8 to the principal Regulations, insert Schedule 8A as set out in the Schedule.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health and Social Services on

L.S.

P. Conliffe

Assistant Secretary

20th January 1998.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance and Personnel on

L.S.

J. G. Sullivan

Assistant Secretary

20th January 1998.