The National Health Service (Primary Medical Services Section 17C Agreements) (Scotland) Regulations 2018

Essential services

1.—(1) Subject to paragraph 2, the provider must provide the services described in sub-paragraphs (2), (4), (5) and (7) throughout the core hours.

(2) The services described in this paragraph are services required for the management of the provider’s registered patients and temporary residents who are, or believe themselves to be—

(a) ill, with conditions from which recovery is generally expected;

(b) terminally ill; or

(c) suffering from chronic disease,

delivered in the manner determined by the practice in discussion with the patient.

(3) For the purpose of sub-paragraph (2)—

(a) “disease” means a disease included in the list of three-character categories contained in the tenth revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems(1);

(b) “management” includes—

(i) offering consultation and, where appropriate, physical examination for the purpose of identifying the need, if any, for treatment or further investigation; and

(ii) the making available of such treatment or further investigation as is necessary and appropriate, including, where appropriate, the referral of the patient for other services under the Act and liaison with other health care professionals involved in the patient’s treatment and care.

(4) The services described in this paragraph are the provision of appropriate ongoing treatment and care to all registered patients and temporary residents taking account of their specific needs including—

(a) the provision of advice in connection with the patient’s health, including relevant health promotion advice; and

(b) the referral of the patient for other services under the Act.

(5) A provider must provide primary medical services required in core hours, taking into account the provider’s safety and the availability of other options for care, for the immediately necessary treatment of any person to whom the provider has been requested to provide treatment owing to an accident or emergency at any place in the provider’s practice area.

(6) In sub-paragraph (5), “emergency” includes any medical emergency whether or not related to services provided under the agreement.

(7) A provider must provide primary medical services required in core hours for the immediately necessary treatment of any person falling within sub-paragraph (8) who requests such treatment, for the period specified in sub-paragraph (9).

(8) A person falls within this sub-paragraph if the person is one—

(a) whose application for inclusion in the provider’s list of patients has been refused in accordance with paragraph 9 and who is not registered with another provider (by any arrangement) of essential services (or their equivalent) in the area of the Health Board;

(b) whose application for acceptance as a temporary resident has been refused under paragraph 9; or

(c) who is present in the provider’s practice area for less than 24 hours.

(9) The period referred to in sub-paragraph (7) is—

(a) in the case of sub-paragraph (8)(a), 14 days beginning with the date on which that person’s application was refused, or until that person has been subsequently registered elsewhere for the provision of essential services (or their equivalent), whichever occurs first;

(b) in the case of sub-paragraph (8)(b), 14 days beginning with the date on which that person’s application was rejected, or until that person has been accepted as a temporary resident elsewhere as a temporary resident, whichever occurs first; and

(c) in the case of sub-paragraph (8)(c), 24 hours or such shorter period as the person is present in the provider’s practice area.

(1)

World Health Organisation, 2010 ISBN 9789241548342.