The General Medical Services and Section 17C Agreements (Transitional and other Ancillary Provisions) (Scotland) Order 2004

Practice leaflet

25.—(1) This article applies where a relevant medical practitioner had compiled a practice leaflet which met the requirements of paragraph 12 of Schedule 1 to the 1995 Regulations and that leaflet was, on 31st March 2004, available to patients on his list.

(2) In the circumstances to which this article applies, the practice leaflet made available to patients by–

(a) the succeeding contractor; or

(b) a general medical services contractor who enters into a general medical services contract before 31st July 2004 which takes effect immediately after its default contract with the same Health Board ceases to have effect,

need not, until 1st August 2004, include all the information specified in the term of the general medical services contract which gives effect to Schedule 8 to the 2004 Regulations (or in the equivalent term of the default contract) provided that, from the date of commencement of the contract until the practice leaflet does so comply, the general medical services contractor or the default contractor makes available to patients in written form the information specified in paragraph (3).

(3) The information referred to in paragraph (2) is–

(a) the services available under the general medical services contract or the default contract;

(b) the opening hours of the practice premises and the method of obtaining access to services throughout the core hours;

(c) the arrangements for services in the out of hours period (whether or not provided by the general medical services contractor or the default contractor) and how the patient may contact such services; and

(d) if the services in sub-paragraph (c) are not provided by the general medical services contractor or the default contractor the fact that the Health Board which is a party to the general medical services contract or the default contract is responsible for commissioning the services and the name address and telephone number of the Health Board.

(4) In this article, “practice leaflet”–

(a) in relation to the period before 1st April 2004, has the meaning given in paragraph 12 of Schedule 1 to the 1995 Regulations; and

(b) in relation to the period from 1st April 2004 has the meaning given in regulation 2(1) of the 2004 Regulations (interpretation).