The National Health Service (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2001

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the National Health Service (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) (Scotland) Regulations 1989 (S.I. 1989/326) (“the principal Regulations”) which provide for the making and recovery of charges for drugs and appliances supplied by doctors and pharmacists providing pharmaceutical services, and by Health Boards and NHS trusts to out-patients.

Amendments made to the principal Regulations by regulations 2 and 3 and the Schedule increase the charge for items on prescription or supplied to out-patients from £6.00 to £6.10. The charge for elastic stockings is increased from £6.00 to £6.10 each (from £12.00 to £12.20 per pair) and that for tights from £12.00 to £12.20. The charges for partial human hair wigs and modacrylic wigs are increased from £131.50 to £133.70 and from £49.90 to £50.70 respectively. The charge for full human hair wigs is increased from £192.20 to £195.40. The charge for fabric supports is increased from £30.50 to £31.00 and the charge for surgical brassieres is increased from £20.30 to £20.60. The sums prescribed for the grant of pre-payment certificates are increased from £31.40 to £31.90 for a four monthly certificate and from £86.20 to £87.60 for a twelve monthly certificate.

Regulation 4 amends regulation 8 of the principal Regulations regarding the repayment of sums paid for pre-payment certificates. It replaces paragraphs (7) and (8) and provides that in respect of payments made on or after 1st April 2001 a refund, calculated according to the nature of the certificate and period of validity, shall be payable to the estate of a person who has died during the period of validity of the certificate excluding the month of the application for repayment.

Regulation 5 provides that the application of these Regulations shall be in respect of supplies made after 31st March 2001 or where examinations leading to the supply of an appliance take place after that date and in respect of repayments of sums for pre-payment certificates, where the pre-payment certificate itself was applied for after 31st March 2001.