2013 No. 302
Provision of Health Services to Persons not Ordinarily Resident (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2013
Made
Coming into operation
The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety F1, in exercise of the powers conferred by Articles 42, 106(b) and 107(6) of the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1972 F2, in conjunction with the Department of Finance and Personnel, makes the following Regulations:
Citation, commencement and interpretation1
1
These Regulations may be cited as the Provision of Health Services to Persons not Ordinarily Resident (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2013 and shall come into operation on 27th December 2013.
2
In these Regulations, “the principal Regulations” means the Provision of Health Services to Persons not Ordinarily Resident Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005 F3.
Amendment of regulation 2 of the principal Regulations2
In regulation 2 (Interpretation) of the principal Regulations—
a
insert the following definitions at the appropriate place in alphabetical order—
Directive 2011/24/EU” means Directive 2011/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9th March 2011 on the application of patients' rights in cross-border healthcare F4;
“GMS Contracts Regulations” means the Health and Personal Social Services (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004 F5;
“out of hours period” means—
- a
the period beginning at 6.30pm on any day from, and including, Monday to Thursday and ending at 8am on the following day;
- b
the period between 6.30pm on, and including, Friday and 8am on the following Monday; and
- c
any public holiday or local holiday agreed with the Board;
and “part” of an out of hours period means any part of any one or more of the periods described in paragraphs (a) to (c);
“out of hours services” means services required to be provided in all or part of the out of hours period which would be services available to visiting patients under regulation 15(3) and (5) of the GMS Contracts Regulations, if provided in core hours;
“Personal Dental Services” means dental services of a kind that may be provided by a general dental practitioner in accordance with Part VI of the Order;
“Primary Medical Services” means services of a kind that may be provided by a general medical practitioner in accordance with arrangements under Article 57A of the Order;
“visiting patient” means an individual for whom a member State other than the United Kingdom is the member State of Affiliation within the meaning of Article 3(c) of Directive 2011/24/EU;
b
for the definition of “Board” substitute the following definition “Board” means the Regional Health and Social Care Board established under section 7 of the Health and Social Care (Reform) Act (Northern Ireland) 2009 F6.
Insertion of regulation 2A3
After regulation 2 of the principal Regulations insert the following regulation—
Visitors to whom services forming part of health services shall be available2A
Services forming part of health services shall be available to any visitor at a charge determined by the Department, subject to regulations 3 to 8A.
Amendment of regulation 3 of the principal Regulations4
1
Regulation 3 of the principal Regulations shall be amended as provided by paragraphs (2) to (4).
2
For the heading “Visitors to whom services forming part of health services shall be available”, substitute “
Visitors exempt from charges
”
.
3
For the words “Services forming part of health services shall be available to a visitor” substitute—
1
No charge may be made or recovered in respect of any services forming part of health services provided to a visitor who falls within the following sub-paragraphs—
4
After paragraph (1) insert the following paragraphs—
2
A visitor shall only be exempt from charges to the extent that charges would not be payable by a person ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland.
3
Where a visitor meets the residence qualification in sub-paragraph 1(c) on a date during a course of treatment for which charges could have been made prior to that date no charge shall be made in respect of services received subsequently.
4
Where it is established that a visitor does not meet the residence qualification in sub-paragraph 1(c) and that visitor has already received services as part of a course of treatment on the basis that no charges would be made, no charges may be made for the remainder of that course of treatment.
5
No charge shall be made in respect of any services forming part of health services provided for—
a
in the case where sub-paragraph (h), (i), (j), (k), (r) or (s) of paragraph (1) applies to a visitor, the spouse, civil partner or child of the visitor; or
b
spouse, civil partner or child of the visitor, if the spouse, civil partner or child lives on a permanent basis with the visitor in the United Kingdom.
Insertion of regulation 8B5
After regulation 8A of the principal Regulations insert the following regulation—
General health services available to visiting patients under Directive 2011/24/EU8B
1
This regulation applies to a visiting patient exercising rights under Directive 2011/24/EU.
2
Primary medical services shall be available to those visiting patients in accordance with regulation 15(3) and (5) of the GMS Contracts Regulations.
3
General dental services shall be available to those visiting patients in accordance with paragraph 3(2)(b)(v) of Schedule 2 to the General Dental Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1993 F7.
4
Personal dental services shall be available to those visiting patients in accordance with a pilot scheme established under Article 3(1) of the Health Service (Primary Care) (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 F8.
5
Out of hours services shall be available to those visiting patients in accordance with arrangements under Article 56(1) of the Order between the Board and out of hours providers.
6
Where the services mentioned in paragraphs (2) to (5) are provided to a visiting patient, the charge is such as may be determined by the Department.
Revocations6
In the principal Regulations the following provisions shall be revoked—
a
paragraphs (1) to (4) of regulation 4.
b
regulation 8.
Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety on 19th December 2013
Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance and Personnel on 19th December 2013
See S.I. 1999/283 (N.I. 1) Article 3(6)