The National Health Service (General Dental Services Contracts) (Wales) Regulations 2006

Termination by the Local Health Board on grounds of suitability etc. E+W

71.—(1) The Local Health Board may serve notice in writing on the contractor terminating the contract forthwith, or from such date as may be specified in the notice if —

(a) in the case of a contract with a dental practitioner, that dental practitioner;

(b) in the case of a contract with two or more individuals practising in partnership, any individual or the partnership; and

(c) in the case of a contract with a dental corporation—

(i) the corporation, or

(ii) any director, chief executive or secretary of the corporation,

falls within sub-paragraph (2) during the existence of the contract or, if later, on or after the date on which a notice in respect of his or her compliance with the conditions in regulation 4 or 5 was given under paragraph 42(2).

(2) A person falls within this sub-paragraph if—

(a) he, she or it is the subject of a national disqualification;

(b) subject to sub-paragraph (3), he, she or it is disqualified or suspended (other than by an interim suspension order or direction pending an investigation or a suspension on the grounds of ill-health) from practising by any licensing body anywhere in the world;

(c) subject to sub-paragraph (4), he or she has been dismissed (otherwise than by reason of redundancy) from any employment by a health service body unless before the Local Health Board has served a notice terminating the contract pursuant to this paragraph, he or she is employed by the health service body that dismissed him or her or by another health service body;

(d) he, she or it is removed from, or refused admission to, a primary care list by reason of inefficiency, fraud or unsuitability (within the meaning of section 49F(2), (3) and (4) of the Act(1) respectively) unless his or her name has subsequently been included in such a list;

(e) he or she has been convicted in the United Kingdom of—

(i) murder, or

(ii) a criminal offence other than murder, committed on or after 26 August 2002, and has been sentenced to a term of imprisonment of over six months;

(f) subject to sub-paragraph (5), he or she has been convicted outside the United Kingdom of an offence—

(i) which would, if committed in England and Wales, constitute murder, or

(ii) committed on or after 26 August 2002, which would if committed in England and Wales, constitute a criminal offence other than murder, and been sentenced to a term of imprisonment of over six months;

(g) he or she has been convicted of an offence referred to in Schedule 1 to the Children and Young Persons Act 1933(2) (offences against children and young persons with respect to which special provisions of this Act apply) or Schedule 1 to the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995(3) (offences against children under the age of 17 years to which special provisions apply);

(h) he, she or it has—

(i) been adjudged bankrupt or had sequestration of his or her estate awarded unless (in either case) he or she has been discharged or the bankruptcy order has been annulled;

(ii) been made the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order or an interim bankruptcy restrictions order under Schedule 4A to the Insolvency Act 1986(4), unless that order has ceased to have effect or has been annulled;

(iii) made a composition or arrangement with, or granted a trust deed for, his, her or its creditors unless he, she or it has been discharged in respect of it; or

(iv) been wound up under Part IV of the Insolvency Act 1986;

(i) there is—

(i) an administrator, administrative receiver or receiver appointed in respect of it; or

(ii) an administration order made in respect of it under Schedule B1 to the Insolvency Act 1986(5);

(j) that person is a partnership and—

(i) a dissolution of the partnership is ordered by any competent court, tribunal or arbitrator; or

(ii) an event happens that makes it unlawful for the business of the partnership to continue, or for members of the partnership to carry on in partnership;

(k) he or she has been—

(i) removed from the office of charity trustee or trustee for a charity by an order made by the Charity Commissioners or the High Court on the grounds of any misconduct or mismanagement in the administration of the charity for which he or she was responsible or to which he or she was privy, or which he or she by his or her conduct contributed to or facilitated; or

(ii) removed under section 7 of the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1990(6) (powers of the Court of Session to deal with management of charities), from being concerned in the management or control of any body;

(l) he or she is subject to a disqualification order under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986(7), the Companies (Northern Ireland) Order 1986(8) or to an order made under section 429(2)(b) of the Insolvency Act 1986 (failure to pay under county court administration order); or

(m) he or she has refused to comply with a request by the Local Health Board for him or her to be medically examined on the grounds that it is concerned that he or she is incapable of adequately providing services under the contract and, in a case where the contract is with two or more individuals practising in partnership or with a dental corporation, the Local Health Board is not satisfied that the contractor is taking adequate steps to deal with the matter.

(3) A Local Health Board will not terminate the contract pursuant to sub-paragraph (2)(b) where the Local Health Board is satisfied that the disqualification or suspension imposed by a licensing body outside the United Kingdom does not make the person unsuitable to be—

(a) a contractor;

(b) a partner, in the case of a contract with two or more individuals practising in partnership; or

(c) in the case of a contract with a dental corporation, a director, chief executive or secretary of the corporation.

(4) A Local Health Board will not terminate the contract pursuant to sub-paragraph (2)—

(a) until a period of at least three months has elapsed since the date of the dismissal of the person concerned; or

(b) if, during the period of time specified in paragraph (a), the person concerned brings proceedings in any competent tribunal or court in respect of his or her dismissal, until proceedings before that tribunal or court are concluded,

and the Local Health Board may only terminate the contract at the end of the period specified in paragraph (b) if there is no finding of unfair dismissal at the end of those proceedings.

(5) A Local Health Board will not terminate the contract pursuant to sub-paragraph (2)(f) where the Local Health Board is satisfied that the conviction does not make the person unsuitable to be—

(a) a contractor;

(b) a partner, in the case of a contract with two or more individuals practising in partnership; or

(c) in the case of a contract with a dental corporation, a director, chief executive or secretary of the corporation,

as the case may be.

Commencement Information

I1 Sch. 3 para. 71 in force at 1.3.2006, see reg. 1(1)

(1)

Section 49F was inserted into the Act by section 25 of the 2001 Act.

(2)

1933 c. 12 as amended by the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 (c. 28), section 58(1), Schedule 10, paragraph 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (c. 42) section 139 and Schedule 6 paragraph 7, the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (c. 33), section 170 and Schedule 15, paragraph 8 and Schedule 16, paragraph 16 and the Sexual Offences Act 1956 (c. 69), sections 48 and 51 and Schedules 3 and 4; and as modified by the Criminal Justice Act 1988, section 170(1), Schedule 15, paragraph 9.

(3)

1995 c. 46.

(4)

1986 c. 45. Schedule 4A was inserted by section 257 of, and Schedule 3 to, the Enterprise Act 2002 (c. 40).

(5)

Schedule B1 was inserted by section 248 of, and Schedule 16 to, the Enterprise Act 2002.

(6)

1990 c. 40.

(7)

1986 c. 46 as amended by the Insolvency Act 2000 (c. 39).

(8)

S.I. 1986/1032 (N.I. 6).