The Health and Personal Social Services (General Medical Services Contracts), Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004
These Regulations set out the framework for general medical services under Article 57 of the Health and Personal Social Services (NI) Order 1972.
The Regulations
The Regulations set out the conditions which must be included in the terms of a general medical services contract between the Boards and a general medical practitioner. In particular Part 5 of Schedule 5 to the Regulations includes terms relating to patient records.
Records management considerations
Patients' records may be kept manually, in computerised form (with the Board's consent) or a combination of those two ways.
The consent of the Board is required to give such consent where it is satisfied that the computer system has been accredited by DoH, security measures have been enabled and the contractor has undertaken to have regard to guidelines issued from time to time by DoH.
GP contractors must compile and make available to patients a patient information leaflet.
The information to be included in the leaflet is set out in Schedule 8 to the Regulations.