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Explanatory note

Original text. Later amendments are not shown.

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend regulations 12A and 13 of and Schedule 1 to the National Health Service (General Ophthalmic Services) Regulations 1986 (“the Principal Regulations”) and regulation 13 of the National Health Service (General Ophthalmic Services Supplementary List) and (General Ophthalmic Services Amendment and Consequential Amendment) Regulations 2005 (“the 2005 Regulations”).

Regulation 2 amends regulation 12A of the Principal Regulations on payments to practitioners suspended from an ophthalmic list.

Regulation 3 updates a cross-reference in regulation 13(2A) of the Principal Regulations.

Regulation 4 amends Schedule 1 to the Principal Regulations, which contains the terms of service with which contractors providing general ophthalmic services under the National Health Service Act 1977 have to comply. It amends paragraph 8B of that Schedule to vary terms of service regarding a contractor’s duty of co-operation with the investigation of complaints (regulation 4(2)). It also adds a new paragraph 12 to that Schedule (regulation 4(3)). The new provision bans the use of telephone services for the purposes of the provision of general ophthalmic services which make use of national rate numbers (starting with 087), premium rate numbers (starting with 090 or 091) or personal numbers (starting with 070).

Regulation 5 amends regulation 13 of the 2005 Regulations on payments to practitioners suspended from an ophthalmic supplementary list.

Regulation 6 makes transitional arrangements in relation to contractors who have an arrangement to provide general ophthalmic services where the contractor has, before the coming into force of these Regulations, entered into a contract or other arrangement for the provision of telephone services which will breach the ban on certain types of telephone services inserted by regulation 4(3) of these Regulations. Such contractors will be required to vary or terminate their existing telephone arrangements in accordance with directions given to Primary Care Trusts by the Secretary of State.