National Health Service (Wales) Act 2006

72 Regulations as to general ophthalmic services

(1) Regulations may provide as to the arrangements to be made under section 71, and must include provision—

(a) for the preparation and publication by each Local Health Board of a list of medical practitioners and a list of optometrists who undertake to provide general ophthalmic services for persons in the area of the Local Health Board,

(b) for conferring a right on any medical practitioner having the prescribed qualifications, and on any optometrist, who wishes to be included in an ophthalmic list, to be included,

(c) for conferring on any person a right to choose in accordance with the prescribed procedure the medical practitioner or optometrist by whom his sight will be tested, or from whom any prescription for the supply of optical appliances will be obtained,

(d) for the removal from an ophthalmic list for any area of the name of any person in whose case it has been determined in such manner as may be prescribed that he has never provided, or has ceased to provide, general ophthalmic services for persons in that area.

(2) Subsection (1)(b) is subject to subsections (3) and (4) and Part 8.

(3) The regulations may, in particular, make provision in relation to—

(a) grounds on which a Local Health Board may, or must, refuse to include a medical practitioner or an optometrist in an ophthalmic list (including grounds corresponding to the conditions referred to in section 107(2), (3) and (4) as read with section 109),

(b) information which must be supplied to a Local Health Board by a person included or seeking inclusion in an ophthalmic list (or by arrangement with him),

(c) the supply to a Local Health Board by an individual—

(i) who is included, or seeking inclusion, in an ophthalmic list, or

(ii) who is a director of a body corporate or who is a member of a limited liability partnership included, or seeking inclusion, in such a list,

of a criminal conviction certificate under section 112 of the Police Act 1997 (c. 50), a criminal record certificate under section 113 of that Act or an enhanced criminal record certificate under section 115 of that Act,

(d) grounds on which a Local Health Board may defer a decision whether or not to include a person in an ophthalmic list,

(e) the disclosure by a Local Health Board, to prescribed persons or persons of prescribed descriptions, of information of a prescribed description about applicants for inclusion in an ophthalmic list, and refusals by the Local Health Board to include them, and

(f) criteria to be applied in making decisions under the regulations.

(4) If regulations made by virtue of subsection (3)(a) provide that a Local Health Board may refuse to include a person in an ophthalmic list, they must also provide for an appeal (by way of redetermination) to the FHSAA against the decision of the Local Health Board.

(5) The regulations may include provision as to the making of declarations about—

(a) financial interests,

(b) gifts above a prescribed value, and

(c) other benefits received.

(6) Before making regulations by virtue of subsection (5), the Welsh Ministers must consult such organisations as they consider appropriate appearing to them to represent persons providing general ophthalmic services.

(7) In this Act an “ophthalmic list” means a list published in accordance with regulations made under subsection (1)(a).