Providing adequate first aid and medical cover at your event
When running an event, it’s the responsibility of the event organiser to provide the right level of first aid and medical cover.
The level of cover required should be decided after a medical needs assessment, taking into account what might happen, what skills and experience are needed to deal with it, and who is able to provide them. The event organiser should also consider what medical facilities are required in accordance with the expected activity. When carrying out a medical risk assessment, appropriate industry guidance should be considered and referred to.
The event organiser will then need to appoint a medical provider who is capable of successfully providing the required level of cover and facilities.
Advice on completing the risk assessment and medical plan can be found in the following publications:
- The Purple Guide
- Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds 6th Edition (Department for Culture, Media and Sports)
- A Good Practice Guide For The Provision Of First Aid & Medical Services At UK Athletics Licensed Road Races (United Kingdom Athletics, Road Race Medical Services)
When choosing your medical and first aid cover provider, there are a number of checks you should make and factors you should keep in mind:
- Public Liability Insurance
Do they have Public Liability Insurance? This should be current and valid, providing cover for any negligence claims and for the provision of first aid and medical cover.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC) registration
If ambulance operators are providing treatment and transport, can they provide evidence of current Care Quality Commission (CQC) registration? This should be mandatory where the provider transports people from an event site to hospital.
- Registration status
Where the medical provider uses registered health professionals, such as paramedics, nurses and doctors, can they provide registration numbers for these people to enable their registration status to be checked? Where registered professionals are required as part of the cover recommended, all individuals should have current valid UK registration with their relevant body.
- Ambulance crews
Where guidance indicates an ambulance is required for the event, can the ambulance be crewed by at least one registered paramedic? The ambulance crew would normally consist of a second crew member trained to a suitable standard to operate an emergency ambulance, such as an ambulance technician or clinical support staff, and together they form a paramedic crew.
- Patient transport to hospital
Ambulance provision provided on site for the event should be capable and willing to transport any patients who require hospitalisation to a suitable Emergency Department. It is expected that where ambulance cover is indicated in the guidance for the event, there should be no requirement for 999 calls to the local ambulance service, except for multiple casualties or a major incident.
- Blue light transfers
Ambulance providers should be capable of providing emergency transportation to hospital, for example blue light transfer for life-threatening conditions. The provider should be able to demonstrate suitable insurance and driver competence for this, if required.
If you have any questions about medical and first aid cover for your event, please contact our logistics events team at logistics.