§ Dr. GodmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make it his policy to provide at(a) regional and (b) national level regular information concerning the exhaustion of funds held by general practitioner fund holders; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Stewart[holding answer 18 March 1993]: The regulations governing the fundholding scheme already make appropriate arrangements. Should a GP fund-holding practice overspend its allotted sum or fund, the health board is required to review the circumstances involved. In the event that the health board considers that the overspend constitutes mismanagement of the fund it is required by regulations to remove the practice from the list of approved fund-holding practices within the board area, and to notify the practice, the national health service management executive and other interested parties of its decision. It would be open to the practice to appeal against this decision to the Secretary of State.
477WIn the event of such an overspend by a fund-holding Practice, or in the event of a fund-holding practice subsequently being removed from the list of approved fund holders because of such an overspend, the health board is required to make arrangements to ensure that the access of registered patients at the practice to national health service treatment will not be jeopardised.