The National Health Service (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) Amendment Regulations 2003

Statutory Instruments

2003 No. 585

NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE, ENGLAND

The National Health Service (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) Amendment Regulations 2003

Made

7th March 2003

Laid before Parliament

10th March 2003

Coming into force

1st April 2003

The Secretary of State, in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by sections 77 and 126(4) of the National Health Service Act 1977(1) and of all other powers enabling him in that behalf, hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation, commencement, application and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the National Health Service (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) Amendment Regulations 2003 and shall come into force on 1st April 2003.

(2) These Regulations apply to England only.

(3) In these Regulations “the principal Regulations” means the National Health Service (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) Regulations 2000(2).

Increase of amount of charges

2.—(1) The principal Regulations are amended as follows.

(2) In each place that it occurs in each of the following regulations, for “£6.20” there is substituted “£6.30”—

(a) regulation 3(1)(a) and (b) and (4) (charges for the supply of drugs and appliances by chemists);

(b) regulation 4(1)(a) and (b) and (4) (charges for the supply of drugs and appliances by doctors);

(c) regulation 5(1)(a) and (d) and (5) (charges for the supply of drugs and appliances by NHS trusts and Primary Care Trusts);

(d) regulation 6(1)(a) and (b) and (4) (charges for the supply of drugs and appliances at Walk-in Centres); and

(e) regulation 6A(1) (charge for the supply of drugs under Patient Group Directions).

(3) In each place that it occurs in each of the following regulations, for “£12.40” there is substituted “£12.60”—

(a) regulation 3(1)(a) (charge for the supply of a pair of elastic hosiery by chemists);

(b) regulation 4(1)(a) (charge for the supply of a pair of elastic hosiery by doctors);

(c) regulation 5(1)(a) and (c) (charge for the supply of a pair of elastic hosiery or tights by NHS trusts and Primary Care Trusts); and

(d) regulation 6(1)(a) (charge for the supply of a pair of elastic hosiery at Walk-in Centres).

(4) In regulation 9 (pre-payment certificates), in paragraph (5)—

(a) for “£32.40” there is substituted “£32.90”; and

(b) for “£89.00” there is substituted “£90.40”.

(5) In column (2) of Schedule 1 (charges for fabric supports and wigs)—

(a) for “£20.90” there is substituted “£21.20”;

(b) for “£31.50” there is substituted “£32.00”;

(c) for “£51.50” there is substituted “£52.30”;

(d) for “£135.90” there is substituted “£138.00”; and

(e) for “£198.60” there is substituted “£201.70”.

Transitional provisions

3.  Where, on or after 1st April 2003—

(a) any appliance specified in Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations is supplied pursuant to an order given before that date; or

(b) any pre-payment certificate is granted under regulation 9 of the principal Regulations pursuant to an application under that regulation which was received before that date,

the principal Regulations shall have effect in relation to that supply, or as the case may be, grant as if these Regulations had not come into force.

Signed by Authority of the Secretary of State for Health

David Lammy

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State,

Department of Health

7th March 2003

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the National Health Service (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) Regulations 2000 (“the principal Regulations”).

Regulation 2 increases the charges payable under the principal Regulations from £6.20 to £6.30 for the supply of drugs and appliances, and from £12.40 to £12.60 for pairs of elastic hosiery. Regulation 3, however, makes transitional provision for the old charges to apply in respect of certain appliances ordered, and pre-payment certificates applied for, before the coming into force of the Regulations.

(1)

1977 (c. 49). Section 126(4) has been amended by section 65(2) of the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 (c. 19), section 65(1) of, and paragraphs 4 and 37 of Schedule 4 to, the Health Act 1999 (c. 8), section 67(1) of, and paragraph 5 of Part 1 of Schedule 5 to, the Health and Social Care Act 2001 (c. 15), and sections 6(3)(c) and 37(1) of the National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act 2002 (c. 17).

(2)

S.I. 2000/620, as amended by S.I. 2000/2393, S.I. 2000/3189, S.I. 2001/746, S.I. 2001/2887, S.I. 2002/548, S.I. 2002/1386, S.I. 2002/2352.