The Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010

Duty to provide information to the Health Protection Agency

5.—(1) This regulation applies where a notification has been made by the operator of a diagnostic laboratory to the Health Protection Agency under regulation 4.

(2) The Health Protection Agency may request that the person (R) who solicited the laboratory test which identified the causative agent to which the notification relates, provide to it the information listed at regulation 4(2) insofar as that information was not included in the notification.

(3) R must provide the information requested under paragraph (2) insofar as it is known to R.

(4) The information must be provided in writing within 3 days beginning with the day on which the request is made.

(5) Without prejudice to paragraph (4), if the Health Protection Agency considers the case to be urgent and informs R of this fact when making the request, the information must be provided orally as soon as reasonably practicable.

(6) In determining whether the case is urgent, the Health Protection Agency must have regard to—

(a) the nature of the causative agent to which the notification relates;

(b) the nature of the disease which the causative agent causes;

(c) the ease of spread of the causative agent;

(d) the ways in which the spread of the causative agent can be prevented or controlled; and

(e) where known, the circumstances of the person from whom the sample was taken (including age, sex and occupation).