General Medical Services (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998

Regulation 9

SCHEDULE New Schedule 8A to be inserted in Principal Regulations

Regulation 37A(2)

“SCHEDULE 8A GMS Local Development Schemes

1.— (1) A GMS local development scheme is one whereby payments are made to doctors in respect of the provision by them of general medical services to standards or in ways specified in the scheme.

(2) A GMS local development scheme—

(a) may not provide for payments in respect of any service which does not form part of general medical services; but

(b) subject to paragraph 4, may include provision for the payments referred to in sub-paragraph (1) to take account of any additional need which the doctor may have for computers, premises and practice staff in consequence of his providing general medical services to the standards or in the ways specified in the scheme.

(3) A Board may have more than one GMS local development scheme, and may amend or revoke each of them.

(4) A GMS local development scheme may apply throughout a Board’s area, or may be limited in any way a Board thinks appropriate.

(5) A GMS local development scheme shall be published by a Board in a way which is suitable for bringing it to the attention of the doctors in its area whose names are included in the medical list.

2.   A GMS local development scheme must specify what a doctor must do in order to become eligible for the payments in question.

3.— (1) Before establishing a GMS local development scheme (and after consulting the Local Medical Committee pursuant to regulation 37A(3)(a)), a Board must satisfy itself—

(a) that the provision of general medical services in its area will not be in any way reduced in quality or availability as a result of the proposed GMS local development scheme; and

(b) that the scheme would help to make improvements in the provision of general medical services in its area (or in the part of its area to which the scheme relates).

(2) Eligibility on the part of a doctor for payments under a GMS local development scheme may be subject to conditions, including conditions designed to secure as respects the doctor’s provision of general medical services that the standards referred to in sub-paragraph (1)(a) are maintained, and the improvements referred to in sub-paragraph (1)(b) are made.

4.— (1) Subject to sub-paragraph (2), a GMS local development scheme may not provide for payments in respect of anything for which specific payment is provided in the Statement referred to in regulation 37(1).

(2) In any case where—

(a) the Statement provides for a payment to be determined by a Board, whether or not subject to a ceiling; and

(b) but for that determination or, as the case may be, the ceiling, a higher payment could have been made under the Statement,

a GMS local development scheme may provide for additional payments in respect of the same thing.

(3) In sub-paragraphs (1) and (2), references to the Statement include references to any amending Statement.

(4) If, after a Board has established a GMS local development scheme, an amending Statement introduces specific payments which mean the GMS local development scheme then contravenes sub-paragraph (1), the GMS local development scheme shall (to that extent) come to an end on the date the amending Statement (or the relevant part of it) comes into effect.”