2003 No. 74

HEALTH AND PERSONAL SOCIAL SERVICES

General Ophthalmic Services (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003

Made

Coming into operation

The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety1, in exercise of the powers conferred on it by Articles 62, 106 and 107(6) of the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 19722 and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf, and in conjunction with the Department of Finance and Personnel and after consultation with such organisations as appeared to the Department to be representative of medical practitioners practising as ophthalmic medical practitioners, and ophthalmic opticians, as required by Article 62(3) of the said Order, hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation, commencement and interpretation1

1

These Regulations may be cited as the General Ophthalmic Services (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 and shall come into operation on 10th March 2003.

2

In these Regulations “the principal Regulations” means the General Ophthalmic Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 19863.

Amendment of Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations2

In paragraph 6 of Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations (terms of service for opticians) for sub-paragraph (2) there shall be substituted –

  • Subject to paragraph 8(5), a contractor shall retain all such records for a period of seven years, and shall during that period –

    1. i

      produce them on request to an optician in the employment of the Board for inspection; or

    2. ii

      send them to the Department, the Board, the Agency or the Committee within 14 days of being required to do so by the Department, the Board, the Agency or the Committee.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety on 12th February 2003.

Dr. J. F. LivingstoneSenior Officer of theDepartment of Health, Social Services and Public Safety

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance and Personnel on 12th February 2003.

R. ScottSenior Officer of theDepartment of Finance and Personnel

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations further amend the Health and Personal Social Services General Ophthalmic Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1986 (“the 1986 Regulations”) which provide for the arrangements under which ophthalmic medical practitioners and ophthalmic opticians provide General Ophthalmic Services.

Regulation 2 amends Schedule 1 to the 1986 Regulation which contains opticians' terms of service. Paragraph 6 of the Schedule, which relates to records, is amended to extend the circumstances in which records must be provided for inspection.