The Health Services (Primary Care) (Northern Ireland) Order 1997

Right to choose medical practitioner

23.  In the 1972 Order, after Article 15D, insert—

“Right to choose medical practitioner

15E.— (1) Provision shall be made in regulations for conferring a right on any person to choose the medical practitioner from whom he is to receive primary medical services, subject to—

(a) the consent of the practitioner concerned; and

(b) any limit on the number of patients to be accepted by any practitioner.

(2) In particular the regulations—

(a) shall prescribe the procedure for choosing a practitioner;

(b) may prescribe a limit on the number of patients to be accepted by a medical practitioner who undertakes to provide general medical services under Part VI; and

(c) shall provide for the distribution among medical practitioners of persons who have indicated a wish to obtain primary medical services but—

(i) have been refused by the medical practitioner of their choice; or

(ii) have not chosen a medical practitioner.

(3) The Department may give directions imposing a limit on the number of patients to be accepted by a medical practitioner who performs personal medical services in accordance with Article 15B arrangements.

(4) Any such directions may make different provision for different cases or descriptions of case.

(5) In this Article “primary medical services” means medical services which are—

(a) provided, in accordance with Article 15B arrangements, as personal medical services; or

(b) provided under Part VI as general medical services.”.