The National Health Service (General Medical Services) Amendment (No. 3) Regulations 1997

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations further amend the National Health Service (General Medical Services) Regulations 1992 (“the 1992 Regulations”) which regulate the terms on which general medical services are provided under the National Health Service Act 1977 (“the Act”).

Regulation 2 inserts a new regulation 34B into the 1992 Regulations. This regulation enables a Health Authority to establish one or more general medical services local development schemes (“LDSs”), provided it has been designated as a determining authority by the Secretary of State and the remuneration is of a description designated by the Secretary of State for that purpose under section 97(3A)(d) of the Act.

The new Regulation 34B also requires a Health Authority to consult its Local Medical Committee before establishing LDSs and before making any determination of remuneration for LDSs; to make payments in accordance with the determination for each financial year to doctors on its medical list who qualify; and to publish certain information about the LDSs established in its area.

Regulation 2(3) makes a consequential amendment to regulation 35 of the 1992 Regulations.

Regulation 2(4) and the Schedule insert a new Schedule 7A to the 1992 Regulations, which makes further provision about LDSs. In particular, Schedule 7A defines an LDS and provides that the Health Authority must be satisfied of specified criteria before it can establish an LDS. It provides that LDSs cannot be used to duplicate any payment for which provision is made in the Statement referred to in regulation 34(1) of the 1992 Regulations, but may be used to make payments in addition to payments made under the Statement.

Regulation 3 amends the 1992 Regulations to substitute the term “General Practice (GP) Registrar” for “trainee general practitioner” with a small change in the definition, and to make consequential amendments.