The Health and Personal Social Services (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004

Regulation 16

SCHEDULE 1 ADDITIONAL SERVICES

Additional services generally

1.  The contractor shall provide, in relation to each additional service, such facilities and equipment as are necessary to enable him properly to perform that service.

Cervical screening

2.—(1) A contractor whose contract includes the provision of cervical screening services shall –

(a) provide all the services described in sub-paragraph (2); and

(b) make such records as are referred to in sub-paragraph (3),

in accordance with guidance relating to the Cervical Screening Programme issued from time to time by the Department.

(2) The services referred to in sub-paragraph (1)(a) are –

(a) the provision of any necessary information and advice to assist women identified by the Board as recommended nationally for a cervical screening test in making an informed decision as to participation in the Cervical Screening Programme;

(b) the performance of cervical screening tests on women who have agreed to participate in that Programme;

(c) arranging for women to be informed of the results of the test; and

(d) ensuring that test results are followed up appropriately.

(3) The records referred to in sub-paragraph (1)(b) are an accurate record of the carrying out of a cervical screening test, the result of the test and any clinical follow up requirements.

Contraceptive services

3.—(1) A contractor whose contract includes the provision of contraceptive services shall make available to all his patients who request such services the services described in sub-paragraph (2).

(2) The services referred to in sub-paragraph (1) are –

(a) the giving of advice about the full range of contraceptive methods;

(b) where appropriate, the medical examination of patients seeking such advice;

(c) the treatment of such patients for contraceptive purposes and the prescribing of contraceptive substances and appliances (excluding the fitting and implanting of intrauterine devices and implants);

(d) the giving of advice about emergency contraception and where appropriate, the supplying or prescribing of emergency hormonal contraception or, where the contractor has a conscientious objection to emergency contraception, prompt referral to another provider of primary medical services who does not have such conscientious objections;

(e) the provision of advice in cases of unplanned or unwanted pregnancy, including advice about the availability of free pregnancy testing in the practice area and, where appropriate, where the contractor has a conscientious objection to the termination of pregnancy, prompt referral to another provider of primary medical services who does not have such conscientious objections;

(f) the giving of initial advice about sexual health promotion and sexually transmitted infections; and

(g) the referral as necessary for specialist sexual health services, including tests for sexually transmitted infections.

Vaccinations and immunisations

4.—(1) A contractor whose contract includes the provision of vaccinations and immunisations shall comply with the requirements in sub-paragraphs (2) and (3).

(2) The contractor shall –

(a) offer to provide to patients all vaccinations and immunisations (excluding childhood vaccinations and immunisations) of a type and in the circumstances for which a fee was provided for under the 2003-04 Statement of Fees and Allowances made under regulation 37 of the General Medical Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997(1) other than influenza vaccination;

(b) provide appropriate information and advice to patients about such vaccinations and immunisations;

(c) record in the patient’s record kept in accordance with paragraph 68 of Schedule 5 any refusal of the offer referred to in head (a);

(d) where the offer is accepted, administer the vaccinations and immunisations and include in the patient’s record kept in accordance with paragraph 68 of Schedule 5 –

(i) the patient’s consent to the vaccination or immunisation or the name of the person who gave consent to the vaccination or immunisation and his relationship to the patient,

(ii) the batch numbers, expiry date and title of the vaccine,

(iii) the date of administration,

(iv) in a case where two vaccines are administered in close succession, the route of administration and the injection site of each vaccine,

(v) any contraindications to the vaccination or immunisation, and

(vi) any adverse reactions to the vaccination or immunisation.

(3) The contractor shall ensure that all staff involved in administering vaccines are trained in the recognition and initial treatment of anaphylaxis.

Childhood vaccinations and immunisations

5.—(1) A contractor whose contract includes the provision of childhood vaccinations and immunisations shall comply with the requirements in sub-paragraphs (2) and (3).

(2) The contractor shall –

(a) offer to provide to children all vaccinations and immunisations of a type and in the circumstances for which a fee was provided for under the 2003-04 Statement of Fees and Allowances made under regulation 37 of the General Medical Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997;

(b) provide appropriate information and advice to patients and, where appropriate, their parents, about such vaccinations and immunisations;

(c) record in the patient’s record kept in accordance with paragraph 68 of Schedule 5 any refusal of the offer referred to in head (a);

(d) where the offer is accepted, administer the vaccinations and immunisations and include in the patient’s record kept in accordance with paragraph 68 of Schedule 5 –

(i) the name of the person who gave consent to the vaccination or immunisation and his relationship to the patient;

(ii) the batch numbers, expiry date and title of the vaccine;

(iii) the date of administration;

(iv) in a case where two vaccines are administered in close succession, the route of administration and the injection site of each vaccine;

(v) any contraindications to the vaccination or immunisation; and

(vi) any adverse reactions to the vaccination or immunisation.

(3) The contractor shall ensure that all staff involved in administering vaccines are trained in the recognition and initial treatment of anaphylaxis.

Child health surveillance

6.—(1) A contractor whose contract includes the provision of child health surveillance services shall, in respect of any child under the age of 5 for whom he has responsibility under the contract –

(a) provide all the services described in sub-paragraph (2), other than any examination so described which the parent refuses to allow the child to undergo, until the date upon which the child attains the age of five years; and

(b) maintain such records as are specified in sub-paragraph (3).

(2) The services referred to sub-paragraph (1)(a) are –

(a) the monitoring –

(i) by the consideration of any information concerning the child received by or on behalf of the contractor, and

(ii) on any occasion when the child is examined or observed by or on behalf of the contractor (whether pursuant to head (b) or otherwise),

of the health, well-being and physical, mental and social development (all of which characteristics are referred to in this paragraph as “development”) of the child while under the age of 5 years with a view to detecting any deviations from normal development;

(b) the examination of the child at a frequency that has been agreed with the Board in accordance with the nationally agreed evidence based programme set out in the fourth edition of “Health for all Children”(2).

(3) The records mentioned in sub-paragraph (1)(b) are an accurate record of –

(a) the development of the child while under the age of 5 years, compiled as soon as is reasonably practicable following the first examination of that child and, where appropriate, amended following each subsequent examination; and

(b) the responses (if any) to offers made to the child’s parent for the child to undergo any examination referred to in sub-paragraph (2)(b).

Maternity medical services

7.—(1) A contractor whose contract includes the provision of maternity medical services shall –

(a) provide to female patients who have been diagnosed as pregnant all necessary maternity medical services throughout the ante-natal period;

(b) provide to female patients and their babies all necessary maternity medical services throughout the post-natal period other than neo-natal checks;

(c) provide all necessary maternity medical services to female patients whose pregnancy has terminated as a result of miscarriage or abortion or, where the contractor has a conscientious objection to the termination of pregnancy, prompt referral to another provider of primary medical services who does not have such conscientious objections.

(2) In this regulation –

“ante-natal period” means the period from the start of the pregnancy to the onset of labour;

“maternity medical services” means –

(a)

in relation to female patients (other than babies) all primary medical services relating to pregnancy, excluding intra partum care, and

(b)

in relation to babies, any primary medical services necessary in their first 14 days of life;

“post-natal period” means the period starting from the conclusion of delivery of the baby or the patient’s discharge from secondary care services, whichever is the later, and ending on the fourteenth day after the birth.

Minor surgery

8.—(1) A contractor whose contract includes the provision of minor surgery shall comply with the requirements in sub-paragraphs (2) and (3).

(2) The contractor shall make available to patients where appropriate –

(a) curettage;

(b) cautery; and

(c) cryocautery of warts, verrucae and other skin lesions.

(3) The contractor shall ensure that his record of any treatment provided under this paragraph includes the consent of the patient to that treatment.

(1)

S.R. 1997 No. 380

(2)

David Hall and David Elliman, January 2003, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-85188-X