10.—(1) Where a proposed contractor elects in a written notice served on the Local Health Board at any time prior to the contract being entered into to be regarded as a health service body for the purposes of section 4 of the 1990 Act, it shall be so regarded from the date on which the contract is entered into.
(2) If, pursuant to paragraph (1) or (5) a contractor is to be regarded as a health service body that fact , it shall not affect the nature of, or any rights or liabilities arising under, any other contract with a health service body entered into by a contractor before the date on which the contractor is to be so regarded.
(3) Where a contract is made with an individual medical practitioner or two or more persons practising in partnership, and that individual, or that partnership is to be regarded as a health service body in accordance with paragraph (1) or (5) the contractor shall subject to paragraph (4) continue to be regarded as a health service body for the purposes of section 4 of the 1990 Act for as long as that contract continues irrespective of any change in ?
(a)the partners comprising the partnership;
(b)the status of the contractor from that of an individual medical practitioner to that of a partnership; or
(c)the status of the contractor from that of a partnership to that of an individual medical practitioner
(4) A contractor may at any time request in writing a variation of the contract to include provision in or remove provision from the contract that the contract is an NHS contract, and if it does so —
(a)the Local Health Board shall agree to the variation; and
(b)the procedure in paragraph 102(1) of Schedule 6 shall apply.
(5) If, pursuant to paragraph (4), the Local Health Board agrees to the variation to the contract, the contractor shall —
(a)be regarded; or
(b)subject to paragraph (7), cease to be regarded,
as a health service body for the purposes of section 4 of the 1990 Act from the date that variation is to take effect pursuant to paragraph 102(1) of Schedule 6.
(6) Subject to paragraph (7), a contractor shall cease to be a health service body for the purposes of section 4 of the 1990 Act if the contract terminates.
(7) Where a contractor ceases to be a health service body pursuant to ?
(a)paragraph (5) or (6), it shall continue to be regarded as a health service body for the purposes of being a party to any other NHS contract entered into after it became a health service body but before the date on which the contractor ceased to be a health service body (for which purpose it ceases to be such a body on the termination of that NHS contract);
(b)paragraph (5), it shall, if it or the Local Health Board has referred any matter to the NHS dispute resolution procedure before it ceases to be a health service body, be bound by the determination of the adjudicator as if the dispute had been referred pursuant to paragraph 98 of Schedule 6;
(c)paragraph (6), it shall continue to be regarded as a health service body for the purposes of the NHS dispute resolution procedure where that procedure has been commenced—
(i)before the termination of the contract, or
(ii)after the termination of the contract, whether in connection with or arising out of the termination of the contract or otherwise,
for which purposes it ceases to be such a body on the conclusion of that procedure.