The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations 2015

PART 4E+WHealth service body status

Health service body status: electionE+W

10.—(1) A person who proposes to enter into a contract with [F1NHS England] (a “proposed contractor”) may elect, by giving notice in writing to [F1NHS England] prior to entering into the contract, to be regarded as a health service body for the purposes of section 9 of the Act (NHS contracts).

(2) An election made by a proposed contractor under paragraph (1) has effect from the date on which the contract is entered into.

(3) If, by virtue of paragraph (1), a proposed contractor elects to be regarded as a health service body, the nature of, or any rights or liabilities under, any other contract previously entered into by that proposed contractor with a health service body before the date of that election remains unaffected.

(4) Paragraph (5) applies where—

(a)a contractor who is an individual medical practitioner enters, or two or more persons practising in a partnership enter, into a contract with [F1NHS England]; and

(b)that contractor is to be regarded as a health service body in accordance with paragraph (1).

(5) Subject to regulation 11, the contractor is to be regarded as a health service body for the purposes of section 9 of the Act (NHS contracts) for as long as the contract continues irrespective of any change in the—

(a)partners in the partnership;

(b)status of the contractor from that of an individual medical practitioner to that of a partnership; or

(c)status of the contractor from that of a partnership to that of an individual medical practitioner.

Health service body status: variation of contractsE+W

11.—(1) A contractor may at any time request in writing a variation of the contract to include in, or remove from, the contract provision to the effect that the contract is an NHS contract and, if it does so—

(a)[F1NHS England] must agree to the variation; and

(b)the procedure specified in regulation 29 and Part 8 of Schedule 3 for the variation of contracts applies.

(2) If, by virtue of a request under paragraph (1), the contractor is to be regarded as a health service body—

(a)any rights or liabilities under any other contract with a health service body entered into by the contractor before the date on which the contractor is so regarded remain unaffected; and

(b)the contractor is to be regarded as a health service body for the purposes of section 9 of the Act (NHS contracts) from the date on which the variation takes effect in accordance with regulation 29 and Part 8 of Schedule 3.

(3) Where [F1NHS England] agrees to the variation of the contract, the contractor is to be regarded or, subject to regulation 12, is to cease to be regarded, as a health service body for the purposes of section 9 of the Act (NHS contracts) from the date on which the variation takes effect in accordance with regulation 29 and Part 8 of Schedule 3.

Cessation of health service body statusE+W

12.—(1) A contractor ceases to be regarded as a health service body for the purposes of section 9 of the Act (NHS contracts) if the contract terminates.

(2) Where, by virtue of paragraph (1), a contractor ceases to be regarded as a health service body in relation to a contract (“the relevant contract”), the contractor is to continue to be regarded as a health service body for the purposes of any other NHS contract to which it became a party between the date on which it entered into the relevant contract and the date on which it ceased to be regarded as a health service body for the purposes of that contract (but it ceases to be a health service body for the purposes of such other NHS contract on the termination of that contract).

(3) Where—

(a)a contractor ceases to be regarded as a health service body in relation to a contract by reason of a variation of the contract by virtue of regulation 11(1); and

(b)the contractor or [F1NHS England] —

(i)has referred any matter to the NHS dispute resolution procedure before it ceases to be a health service body, or

(ii)refers any matter to the NHS dispute resolution procedure, in accordance with regulation 82, after it ceases to be a health service body,

the contractor is to continue to be regarded as a health service body (and accordingly the contract is to continue to be regarded as an NHS contract) for the purposes of the consideration and determination of the dispute.

(4) Where a contractor ceases to be regarded as a health service body by virtue of regulation 11(1) but continues to be regarded as a health service body for the purposes of the NHS dispute resolution procedure where that procedure was commenced—

(a)before the termination of the contract; or

(b)after the termination of the contract (whether in connection with or arising out of the termination of the contract or otherwise),

the contractor ceases to be regarded as a health service body for those purposes on the conclusion of that procedure.