Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland
1999 No. 112

HEALTH AND PERSONAL SOCIAL SERVICES
General Ophthalmic Services (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999

Made
11th March 1999

Coming into operation
1st April 1999

The Department of Health and Social Services, in exercise of the powers conferred on it by Articles 62, 106 and 107(6) of the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1972(1), and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf, and in conjunction with the Department of Finance and Personnel and after consultation with such organisations as appeared to the Department to be representative of medical practitioners practising as ophthalmic medical practitioners, and ophthalmic opticians, as required by Article 62(3) of the said Order, hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the General Ophthalmic Services (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999 and shall come into operation on 1st April 1999.

(2) In these Regulations, the “principal Regulations” means the General Ophthalmic Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1986(2).

Amendment of regulation 5 of the principal Regulations

2.  In regulation 5 of the principal Regulations (qualifications of ophthalmic medical practitioners)—

(a)in paragraph (1)(b)(iii), for “the Diploma in Ophthalmology awarded conjointly by the Royal College of Physicians of London and the Royal College of Surgeons of England,” substitute “the Membership of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists,”;

(b)omit paragraph (c) and the word “or” preceding it.

Amendment of regulation 15 of the principal Regulations

3.  In regulation 15 of the principal Regulations (sight tests - eligibility)—

(a)after paragraph (1)(b) insert—

“(bb)a person who is aged 60 years or more;”; and

(b)at the end of paragraph (1)(f) insert “or has been advised by an ophthalmologist that he is predisposed to the development of glaucoma;”;

(c)after paragraph (2) insert—

“(2A) In paragraph (1)(f) “ophthalmologist” means a doctor whose name is included in the register of specialists kept by the General Medical Council under Article 8 of the European Specialist Medical Qualifications Order 1995(3) and in respect of whom that register indicates his speciality to be ophthalmology.”.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health and Social Services on

L.S.
Joan Dixon
Assistant Secretary
11th March 1999.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance and Personnel on

L.S.
J. G. Sullivan
Assistant Secretary
11th March 1999.

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)
These Regulations further amend the General Ophthalmic Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1986 (“the principal Regulations”) which provide for the arrangements under which ophthalmic medical practitioners and ophthalmic opticians provide General Ophthalmic Services.
In these Regulations, regulation 5 is updated to take account of changes in the qualifications required by ophthalmic medical practitioners. Regulation 15, which sets out who is eligible for free sight tests, has a new category added for persons aged 60 or more. It also extends the category relating to glaucoma to include those who are advised by ophthalamologists (as defined in regulation 15(2A)) that they are predisposed to developing glaucoma.


(1)
S.I. 1972/1265 (N.I. 14) as amended by S.I. 1978/1907 (N.I. 26) Article 13; S.I. 1984/1158 (N.I. 8) Article 3(1) and (2), paragraph 1 of Schedule 1, Article 17 and Part I of Schedule 6; S.I. 1988/2249 (N.I. 24) Article 8(1) and (2); S.I. 1991/194 (N.I. 1) Part I of Schedule 5

(2)
S.R. 1986 No. 163; relevant amending Regulations are S.R. 1989 No. 113 and S.R. 1995 No. 115

(3)
S.I. 1995/3208, to which there are amendments not relevant to these Regulations