Do the requirements under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act apply to pharmacists, opticians, dentists and GPs and will they need to be ISA registered?
The Department of Health intend to make amendment to Performers List and other regulations to ensure that ISA registration is included as part of the requirements for the List, or the contract an individual enters into with a PCT to provide NHS services. Any such amendment will be pending the Government’s review of the scheme and will be subject to Parliamentary approval. Once enforced, this is intended to apply to pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, opticians, optometrists and ophthalmic medical practitioners as well as GPs and dentists. This will mean that any self-employed clinician will have to register with the ISA before they will be allowed to provide treatment to NHS patients, (salaried clinicians will also have to register with the ISA via their employer). Further details will be communicated by the Department of Health as soon as more information is made available. All GP’s and dentists applying to join a PCT’s medical performers list are already required to provide an enha
