Assessment, management and care of patients
15.—(1)  A licensee must take appropriate measures, including the development and implementation of appropriate written care protocols —
(a)for the triaging of patients, including assessing whether an individual is an emergency patient before the individual is conveyed; and
(b)to ensure the appropriate management and care (including the appropriate use of medical supplies and equipment) of patients using the applicable service provided by the licensee.
(2)  Without limiting paragraph (1), the licensee must —
(a)develop and implement written care protocols for the appropriate assessment, management and care of patients, including —
(i)the criteria for determining whether a patient is an emergency patient and can be conveyed by the licensee in a safe and timely manner;
(ii)the assessment of each patient, before the patient is conveyed by the licensee, in accordance with the criteria mentioned in sub‑paragraph (i); and
(iii)the management, care and escalation of patients whose medical condition deteriorates while being conveyed by the licensee;
(b)ensure that the service crew members deployed to each approved emergency ambulance or approved medical transport (as the case may be) are trained and proficient in implementing the written care protocols mentioned in sub‑paragraph (a); and
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(c)where the licensee assesses, in accordance with the written care protocols mentioned in sub‑paragraph (a), that the licensee cannot safely convey the patient — make appropriate alternative arrangements for the safe and timely conveyance of the patient.
(3)  The written care protocols mentioned in paragraph (2)(a) include written care protocols on the following matters:
(a)a triaging framework, including for determining whether an individual is an emergency patient;
(b)the appropriate management of patients depending on whether or not a patient is an emergency patient and in accordance with the nature and acuity of the patient’s medical condition, including the determination of the appropriate relevant hospital to which the patient should be conveyed;
(c)the manpower and equipment requirements when conveying patients;
(d)the handing over of patients conveyed to another licensee or any other person (including a person authorised by a licence under the Act to provide a licensable healthcare service other than an applicable service), including the recording and communication of information relating to the medical condition of patients.
(4)  The written care protocols mentioned in paragraph (2)(a) must specify different requirements for emergency patients and other patients.
(5)  In the case of an emergency ambulance service licensee, the written care protocols mentioned in paragraph (2)(a) additionally include —
(a)written protocols relating to the use of any siren, horn or beacon light mentioned in regulation 12(3) that is fitted to an approved emergency ambulance; and
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(b)written care protocols relating to the conditions for the use of approved emergency ambulances to convey patients who are not emergency patients.
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