Explanatory note

These Regulations amend the National Health Service (Fund-Holding Practices) (Scotland) Regulations 1993 (“the principal Regulations”) which regulate the recognition and operation of fund-holding practices.

The principal change effected by these Regulations is the creation of two types of fund-holding practice, namely the standard fund-holding practice and the primary care purchasing practice. Practices with at least 4,000 patients on their lists will be able to apply for recognition as a standard fund-holding practice. Recognition as a primary care purchasing practice is not dependent on the number of patients on the practice’s lists. Existing fund-holders will automatically become standard fund-holding practices.

Regulation 6 permits one type of fund-holding practice to apply to become a fund-holding practice of the other type.

Regulation 10 provides for the payment to fund-holding practices of a management allowance to be spent from the allotted sum on certain management expenses, and regulation 11 extends the purposes on which fund-holding practices may spend savings and introduces a requirement that the Health Board consent to certain categories of such expenditure.

The Regulations make other minor drafting and consequential amendments.