Explanatory note

These Regulations amend the National Health Service (General Ophthalmic Services) (Scotland) Regulations 1986 (“the 1986 Regulations”) which provide for the arrangements under which ophthalmic medical practitioners and ophthalmic opticians (“contractors”) provide general ophthalmic services (ie. sight testing services).

Regulations 2 to 6 remove references to a Joint Ophthalmic Committee from the 1986 Regulations since these Committees will be abolished by the National Health Service (Joint Ophthalmic Committees) (Scotland) Revocation Order 1988 with effect from 1st June 1988. Such references are replaced by references to the Health Board to which the functions of the Committee will revert on that date. Regulation 2 also makes other minor drafting changes.

Regulation 7 provides that a contractor who is an employee is jointly liable with his employer to provide suitable accommodation and equipment, to allow inspection of his accommodation and to retain records, only where he has not taken reasonable steps to ensure that those obligations are met. Similarly the liability of a contractor who is acting ffias a deputy extends only as far as that of the contractor for whom he is deputising. Regulation 7 also requires a contractor who issues a prescription for glasses to a patient to obtain on the sight test form for that patient written acknowledgement of its receipt.

For the purposes of regulation 7 these Regulations come into force on 11th April 1988, but for the purposes of all the other Regulations, they come into force on 1st June 1988.