S.I. No. 102/1954:

GENERAL MEDICAL SERVICES REGULATIONS, 1954.

GENERAL MEDICAL SERVICES REGULATIONS, 1954.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

PART I.--PRELIMINARY AND GENERAL.

Article

1. Citation.

2. Definitions.

3. Commencement.

4. Records and confidential nature of documents.

PART II.--MANNER OF MAKING GENERAL PRACTITIONER AND OTHER SERVICES UNDER section 14 of the act AVAILABLE.

5. Manner of making general practitioner services available.

6. Summoning of extra professional assistance.

7. Manner of making medicines available.

8. Manner of making ophthalmic, dental and aural services available.

PART III.--ESTABLISHMENT OF ENTITLEMENT TO GENERAL PRACTITIONER SERVICE.

CHAPTER I.--GENERAL MEDICAL SERVICES REGISTERS.

9. General medical services register.

10. Applications for inclusion in register.

11. Issue of cards relating to entitlement.

12. Removal of name from general medical services register.

13. Revision of the Register.

CHAPTER II.--DETERMINATION OF ENTITLEMENT IN SPECIAL CASES.

14. Definition.

15. Appointment of authorised persons.

Article

16. Directions by authorised persons.

17. Cancellation of directions.

18. Limitation on issue of directions.

19. Period for which directions remain in force.

CHAPTER III.--ANCILLARY PROVISIONS.

20. Report by district medical officer relating to entitlement of person to services.

21. Prohibition of taking of fees, etc.

S.I. No. 102 of 1954.

GENERAL MEDICAL SERVICES REGULATIONS, 1954.

The Minister for Health, in exercise of the powers conferred or him by the Health Acts, 1947 and 1953, and of every other power enabling him in that behalf, hereby makes the following Regulations :

PART I. PRELIMINARY AND GENERAL.

1. These Regulations may be cited as the General Medical Services Regulations, 1954.

2. In these Regulations--

" the Act " means the Health Act, 1953 (No. 26 of 1953) ;

" the Minister " means the Minister for Health ;

" general medical services register " means a register established under Article 9 of these Regulations ;

" general practitioner service" means a general practitioner medical and surgical service under section 14 of the act.

3. These Regulations shall come into operation on 1st day of August, 1954.

4.--(1) A health authority and their officers shall keep such records as may be specified by the Minister from time to time or, in the absence of such specification, as may be determined by the health authority in relation to the services made available in accordance with these Regulations.

(2) Any records kept in pursuance of this Article shall be treated in a confidential manner and shall be available for inspection by persons authorised by the health authority or by the Minister and by no other persons.

(3) Where any record, claim, application, report or other communication relating to the giving of services under section 14 of the act to an individual person is sent by post, it shall be enclosed in a sealed envelope.

(4) A document which is obtained or compiled under these Regulations (or a part of, or an extract from, such a document) which contains the name of an individual shall not be published save with the consent of that individual.

PART II. MANNER OF MAKING GENERAL PRACTITIONER AND OTHER SERVICES UNDER section 14 of the act AVAILABLE.

5.--(1) A health authority shall make available a general practitioner service in each dispensary district in their functional area.

(2) The general practitioner service in a dispensary district shall be provided by a district medical officer for that dispensary district and shall include attendance on persons entitled to that service either, as the case may require, in a dispensary, clinic or health centre, in the person's home or elsewhere within the dispensary district.

6.--(1) Whenever, in the course of his attendance upon a person under section 14 of the act, circumstances arise which, in the opinion of the district medical officer, necessitate his obtaining the assistance of another medical practitioner, the district medical officer may, on his own authority, summon the assistance of such other medical practitioner and shall thereupon report the circumstances in writing to the health authority.

(2) If the health authority, on consideration of the report of the district medical officer, are satisfied that the summoning by the district medical officer of the other medical practitioner was necessary, the authority shall pay to such medical practitioner such fee as may be approved of or directed by the Minister.

7. Medicines shall be made available by a health authority under section 14 of the act--

(a) at appropriate dispensaries, clinics and health centres or,

(b) in the case of medicines made available to a woman in respect of a pregnancy or to a child under the age of six weeks, where she or he is not being attended by a district medical officer, in accordance with such other arrangements as may be approved of or directed by the Minister.

8. Ophthalmic, dental and aural treatment and medical, surgical and dental appliances shall be made available under section 14 of the act--

(a) by appropriately qualified officers of the health authority, or

(b) by appropriately qualified persons under arrangements made by the health authority, with the consent of the Minister, for the provision of such treatment or appliances.

PART III. ESTABLISHMENT OF ENTITLEMENT TO GENERAL PRACTITIONER SERVICE

CHAPTER I.

General Medical Services Registers.

9. As soon as may be after the commencement of these Regulations, a health authority shall establish a register to be known as the................ General Medical Services Register (with the name of the county or county borough prefixed) in which they shall enter particulars of persons who are entitled to avail themselves of the general practitioner service of that health authority.

10. A person may at any time apply to a health authority to have his name included in the general medical services register of that health authority.

11. When the name of a person is included other than as a dependant in their general medical services register by a health authority, that authority shall give or send to the person a card indicating

(a) that his name is included in the register,

(b) the persons who are entitled, as dependants, to avail themselves of the general practitioner service of that authority by virtue of that person's name being included in the register.

12.--(1) If, at any time, a health authority become aware that a person whose name is included otherwise than as a dependant in their general medical services register and who is still in their functional area is not entitled to avail himself of the general practitioner service, they shall remove his name from the register and inform him and the appropriate district medical officer of such removal.

(2) If, at any time, a health authority become aware that a person who is designated as a dependant in their general medical services register and who is still in their functional area is no longer a dependant of the appropriate person, they shall amend the register accordingly and inform such person and the appropriate district medical officer of such amendment.

13. Not less than once in each year a health authority shall examine the general medical services register and shall remove from the register the particulars of any persons who have died, left the functional area of the health authority, or ceased otherwise to be entitled to the general practitioner service made available by the health authority.

CHAPTER II.

Determination of Entitlement in Special Cases.

14. In this Chapter of this Part of these Regulations, "authorised person " means--

(a) a member of a health authority,

(b) a person appointed under Article 15 of these Regulations to be an authorised person for the purposes of these Regulations.

15.--(1) A health authority shall, for the purposes of these Regulations, from time to time, appoint a sufficient number of persons for each dispensary district in the functional area of the health authority to act as authorised persons for the purpose of these Regulations.

(2) A person appointed under this Article shall, unless he sooner dies or resigns, remain an authorised person for such period as the health authority shall, at the time of appointment, determine, but the health authority may, at any time, revoke an appointment under this Article.

16. An authorised person may at any time furnish to a person entitled to avail himself of the general practitioner service under section 14 of the act, and who does not possess a card issued under Article 11 of these Regulations by the health authority in whose functional area he is for the time being, a direction in writing requiring the appropriate district medical officer to afford to that person, or to a dependant of that person, a general practitioner service either, as may be necessary, in the patient's home or at the appropriate dispensary.

17.--(1) A health authority shall, in any case in which they are satisfied that a person to whom a direction issued under Article 16 of these Regulations relates is not a person entitled to a general practitioner service under section 14 of the act, cancel such direction.

(2) A person by whom a direction under Article 16 of these Regulations has been issued shall, in any case in which he becomes satisfied that the person to whom the direction was issued is not entitled to a general practitioner service under section 14 of the act, cancel such direction.

18. A person authorised under these Regulations to issue directions shall not delegate his authority to others and shall not sign any direction in blank nor leave it to be filled up by any other person.

19. A direction issued under this Chapter of this Part of these Regulations shall remain in force until whichever of the following events shall first occur--

(a) the cancellation of the direction by the issuer or by the health authority, or

(b) the expiration of one month from the date of issue of the direction.

CHAPTER III.

Ancillary Provisions.

20.--(1) A district medical officer may at any time report to the health authority that a particular person resident in his dispensary district is not, in his opinion, entitled to avail himself of the general practitioner service.

(2) The fact that a district medical officer has made a report under this Article shall not relieve him of the obligation to provide any service for the person to whom the report relates or to any dependant of that person pending the decision of the health authority on his report.

21. A person engaged in the provision of services in accordance with these Regulations shall not demand or receive any fee or other payment (or consideration) from any person other than the health authority in respect of the services.

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Minister for Health this Fifteenth day of May, One Thousand Nine Hundred and Fifty-four.

SÉAMAS Ó RIAIN,

Minister for Health.