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

Gifts

116.—(1) The contractor shall keep a register of gifts which –

(a) are given to any of the persons specified in sub-paragraph (2) by or on behalf of –

(i) a patient,

(ii) a relative of a patient, or

(iii) any person who provides or wishes to provide services to the contractor or his patients in connection with the contract; and

(b) have, in his reasonable opinion, an individual value of more than £100·00.

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

(a) the contractor;

(b) where the contract is with two or more individuals practising in partnership, any partner;

(c) where the contract is with a company –

(i) any person legally and beneficially holding a share in the company, or

(ii) a director or secretary of the company;

(d) any person employed by the contractor for the purposes of the contract;

(e) any general medical practitioner engaged by the contractor for the purposes of the contract;

(f) any spouse of a contractor (where the contractor is an individual medical practitioner) or of a person specified in paragraphs (b) to (e); or

any person (whether or not of the opposite sex) whose relationship with a contractor (where the contractor is an individual medical practitioner) or with a person specified in paragraphs (b) to (e) has the characteristics of the relationship between husband and wife.

(3) Sub-paragraph (1) does not apply where –

(a) there are reasonable grounds for believing that the gift is unconnected with services provided or to be provided by the contractor;

(b) the contractor is not aware of the gift; or

(c) the contractor is not aware that the donor wishes to provide services to the contractor.

(4) The contractor shall take reasonable steps to ensure that he is informed of gifts which fall within sub-paragraph (1) and which are given to the persons specified in sub-paragraph (2)(b) to (g).

(5) The register referred to in sub-paragraph (1) shall include the following information –

(a) the name of the donor;

(b) in a case where the donor is a patient, the patient’s Central Health Index number or Health and Care number or, if the number is not known, his address;

(c) in any other case, the address of the donor;

(d) the nature of the gift;

(e) the estimated value of the gift; and

(f) the name of the person or persons who received the gift.

(6) The contractor shall make the register available to the Board on request.