Citation, commencement and interpretation

1. —(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Important Public Services (Health) Regulations 2017.

(2) These Regulations come into force on—

(a) 1st March 2017, or

(b) if later, at the end of the period of 21 days beginning with the day on which they are made.

Health services

2. —(1) The following health services are important public services for the purposes of section 226 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992—

(a) the ambulance services listed in paragraph (3) provided in an emergency;

(b) accident and emergency services in a hospital;

(c) services which are provided in high-dependency units and intensive care in a hospital;

(d) psychiatric services provided in a hospital for conditions which require immediate attention in order to prevent serious injury, serious illness or loss of life; and

(e) obstetric and midwifery services provided in a hospital for conditions which require immediate attention in order to prevent serious injury, serious illness or loss of life.

(2) A service referred to in paragraph (1) is not an important public service for the purposes of section 226 if it is provided in a private hospital or by a private ambulance service.

(3) The ambulance services referred to in paragraph (1)(a) are—

(a) dealing with, and organising a response to, a call made by telephone or another device to an emergency telephone number and received by a provider of ambulance services;

(b) the diagnosis or treatment of a person in response to such a call, irrespective of whether the person is subsequently transferred to a hospital, or another place where further health services may be provided; and

(c) the conveyance of a person to a hospital or another place where further health services may be provided in response to such a call.

(4) For the purposes of this regulation—

(a) “emergency telephone number” means the telephone numbers 112 and 999;

(b) a “private hospital” is a hospital whose primary purpose is not the provision of publicly funded health services; and

(c) a “private ambulance service” is an ambulance or associated transport service whose primary purpose is not the provision of publicly funded ambulance services.