Healthcare Services (Acute Hospital Service) Regulations 2023

No. S 424

Healthcare Services Act 2020

Healthcare Services
(Acute Hospital Service)
Regulations 2023

In exercise of the powers conferred by section 57 of the Healthcare Services Act 2020, the Minister for Health makes the following Regulations:

PART 1

PRELIMINARY

Citation and commencement

1. These Regulations are the Healthcare Services (Acute Hospital Service) Regulations 2023 and come into operation on 26 June 2023.

Definitions

2. In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires —

“24-hour clinic service” means a healthcare service that is provided to a patient for the purpose of triaging to determine whether the patient needs to be admitted by the licensee to the approved permanent premises to receive care or treatment and (if it is determined that the patient need not be so admitted) stabilising his or her medical condition;

“acute hospital service” has the meaning given by paragraph 2 of the First Schedule to the Act;

“allied health professional” has the meaning given by section 2 of the Allied Health Professions Act 2011;

“anaesthesia service” means a service that is provided to a patient undergoing a surgical or non‑surgical procedure, where the administration of an anaesthetic is required;

“blood transfusion service” means —

(a)

the collection of whole blood, or blood component or product that is derived from plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets from an individual for the purpose of administering it to that individual (as a patient) or another patient;

(b)

the administration to a patient, by bolus injection or continuous infusion, of either or both of the following, whether obtained from the patient or one or more other individuals:

(i)	whole blood;
(ii)	any blood component or product that is derived from plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets; and

(c)

the temporary storage of any whole blood, or blood component or product that is derived from plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets for the purpose mentioned in paragraph (a) or (b);

“clinical laboratory service” has the meaning given by paragraph 2 of the First Schedule to the Act;

“clinical laboratory service licensee” means a person who holds a licence under the Act to provide a clinical laboratory service;

“clinical privilege”, in relation to a medical practitioner or dentist, means the type or types of care, treatment or procedure that the medical practitioner or dentist is permitted to provide;

“collaborative prescribing practitioner” and “collaborative prescribing service” have the meanings given by regulation 2 of the Healthcare Services (Collaborative Prescribing Service) Regulations 2023 (G.N. No. S 398/2023);

“compound”, in relation to a therapeutic product, means to formulate, mix, assemble, package or label the therapeutic product, with the intention of dispensing or administering the therapeutic product to a patient in accordance with the written instructions of a qualified practitioner;

“dietetic service” means any of the following:

(a)	assessing and determining a patient’s nutritional needs;
(b)	formulating and implementing a dietetic plan for a patient;
(c)	assisting a patient in making dietary changes to promote and optimise the overall health of the patient;

“duly qualified allied health professional” has the meaning given by section 3 of the Allied Health Professions Act 2011;

“emergency ambulance” and “emergency ambulance service” have the meanings given by paragraph 2 of the First Schedule to the Act;

“emergency department service” means the practice of emergency medicine on a patient who —

(a)	is suffering or believed to be suffering from an injury, or a condition of acute or sudden onset, that poses an immediate or urgent threat to the patient’s life or jeopardises the health of the individual; and
(b)	presents himself or herself for medical attention without any prior appointment, either by the patient’s own means, by means of an emergency ambulance or a medical transport or any other means;

“emergency medicine” means the medical speciality concerned with the care of any illness or injury requiring immediate or urgent medical attention;

“enrolled nurse” means a person who is an enrolled nurse within the meaning of the Nurses and Midwives Act 1999 and holds a valid practising certificate under that Act;

“General Regulations” means the Healthcare Services (General) Regulations 2021 (G.N. No. S 1035/2021);

“haemodialysis” has the meaning given by paragraph 2 of the First Schedule to the Act;

“health product” has the meaning given by section 2(1) of the Health Products Act 2007;

“healthcare professional” has the meaning given by regulation 2 of the General Regulations;

“intensive care service” means the specialised treatment given to a patient who is acutely unwell and requires critical medical care;

“licensee” means a person who holds a licence to provide an acute hospital service;

“medical condition”, in relation to a patient, includes the patient’s dental condition;

“medical transport” and “medical transport service” have the meanings given by paragraph 2 of the First Schedule to the Act;

“medicinal product” has the meaning given by section 3 of the Medicines Act 1975;

“MediShield Life Scheme” means the MediShield Life Scheme established by section 3 of the MediShield Life Scheme Act 2015;

“nurse” means a registered nurse or an enrolled nurse;

“nursing personnel” means a registered nurse, an enrolled nurse or any other person who assists a registered nurse or an enrolled nurse in providing nursing care to patients;

“nursing service” means the provision of nursing care to a patient to assist the patient in attaining, maintaining or recovering his or her health;

“nutrition service” means the provision of food to any patient at any approved permanent premises;

“obstetric service” means the evaluation and treatment of a patient who requires antenatal care, intrapartum care or postnatal care;

“patient health record” means a record containing the personal data and medical information of a patient that is maintained by a licensee in relation to the provision of an acute hospital service to the patient;

“peritoneal dialysis support” has the meaning given by paragraph 2 of the First Schedule to the Act;

“personnel”, in relation to a licensee, means any individual employed or engaged by the licensee to assist the licensee in providing an acute hospital service;

“pharmaceutical service” means —

(a)	the procurement, storage and control, dispensing, distribution, supply and administration of all medicinal products and health products stored at any approved permanent premises;
(b)	the preparation of medicinal products or health products, other than the compounding of therapeutic products, at any approved permanent premises; and
(c)	the counselling and monitoring of patient drug therapy;

“pharmacist” means a person who is registered as a pharmacist under the Pharmacists Registration Act 2007 and holds a valid practising certificate under that Act;

“practice of dentistry” has the meaning given by section 2 of the Dental Registration Act 1999;

“qualified practitioner” means —

(a)	a medical practitioner; or
(b)	a registered dentist under the Dental Registration Act 1999 whose name appears in the first division of the Register of Dentists maintained and kept under section 13(1)(a) of that Act;

“radiological service” has the meaning given by paragraph 2 of the First Schedule to the Act;

“radiological service licensee” means a person who holds a licence under the Act to provide a radiological service;

“registered nurse” means a person who is a registered nurse within the meaning of the Nurses and Midwives Act 1999 and holds a valid practising certificate under that Act;

“rehabilitative service” means assisting or facilitating a patient in —

(a)	regaining the patient’s physical or cognitive ability that has been lost or impaired as a result of disease, injury or treatment; or
(b)	returning to the patient’s daily life and living in a normal or near‑normal way,

and includes physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and cognitive therapy;

“relevant procedure” means —

(a)	any surgical procedure; or
(b)	any other procedure that requires the use of an anaesthetic;

“renal dialysis service” means the provision of haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis support by a licensee only to patients who are admitted by the licensee to the licensee’s approved permanent premises, and includes the provision of any healthcare service that is incidental to the provision of haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis support, other than a clinical laboratory service or radiological service;

“resuscitation service” means the treatment of, or implementation of an emergency procedure on, a person for the purpose of resuscitating the person;

“surgical procedure” means —

(a)	an invasive operative procedure during which skin or mucous membranes and connective tissue are incised; or
(b)	a procedure that is carried out using an instrument that is introduced through a natural body orifice;

“surgical service” means the conduct of a surgical procedure on a patient;

“therapeutic product” means a health product categorised as a therapeutic product in the First Schedule to the Health Products Act 2007.

Application of Regulations

3. Unless otherwise expressly provided in these Regulations, the provisions of these Regulations —

(a)	apply in addition to the provisions of the General Regulations; and
(b)	prevail if, and to the extent that, there is any inconsistency between these Regulations and the General Regulations insofar as the matter relates to a licensee.

Made on 21 June 2023.

CHAN YENG KIT

Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Health,
Singapore.

[MH 78:44/1; AG/LEGIS/SL/122E/2020/32 Vol. 1]

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