# The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations 2015, Paragraph 4: Contact with the practice


(1) The contractor must take steps to ensure that all of the following means of contacting the contractor are available for patients throughout core hours—
(a) by attending the contractor’s practice premises;
(b) by telephone; and
(c) through the practice’s online consultation tool within the meaning given in regulation 71ZD(2).
(1A) The contractor must take steps to ensure that a patient who contacts the contractor through—
(a) any of the means listed in sub-paragraph (1)(a) to (c); or
(b) a relevant electronic communication method within the meaning given in regulation 71ZE(3),
is provided with an appropriate response in accordance with the following sub-paragraphs.
(2) Subject to sub-paragraph (2A), the appropriate response is that the contractor must—
(a) invite the patient for an appointment, either to attend the contractor’s practice premises or to participate in a telephone or video consultation, at a time which is appropriate and reasonable having regard to all the circumstances ...;
(b) provide appropriate advice or care to the patient by another method;
(c) invite the patient to make use of, or direct the patient towards, appropriate services which are available to the patient, including services which the patient may access themselves; or
(d) communicate with the patient—
(i) to request further information; or
(ii) as to when and how the patient will receive further information on the services that may be provided to them, having regard to the urgency of their clinical needs and other relevant circumstances.
(2A) The contractor must not ask a patient to contact the practice on another day.
(3) For matters which the contractor has identified as clinically urgent, the appropriate response must be provided—
(a) if the contact ... is made outside core hours, during the following core hours;
(b) in any other case, during the day on which the core hours fall.
(3A) For matters which the contractor has identified as not clinically urgent, the appropriate response must be provided before the end of the next working day after contact.
(4) The appropriate response must take into account—
(a) the needs of the patient , including the need to avoid jeopardising the patient’s health; ...
(b) where appropriate, the preferences of the patient ; and
(c) any benefits to the patient of providing for continuity of the health care professional involved in their care and treatment.

---
Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/1862/schedule/3/paragraph/4 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/national-health-service-general-medical-services-contracts-regulations-2015/schedule-3/paragraph-4
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.