Healthcare Services (Contingency Care 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 (Contingency Care Service) Regulations 2023 and come into operation on 26 June 2023.
Definitions
2. In these Regulations —
“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;
“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;
“contingency care service” has the meaning given by paragraph 2 of the First Schedule to the Act;
“dietetic service” means a service provided to assess and address a patient’s nutritional needs for the purpose of assisting the 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 service” has the meaning given by paragraph 2 of the First Schedule to the Act;
“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;
“essential life-saving measure” means any basic emergency procedure that may be implemented on a person for the purpose of resuscitating the person;
“general anaesthesia” has the meaning given by paragraph 2 of the First Schedule to the Act;
“General Regulations” means the Healthcare Services (General) Regulations 2021 (G.N. No. S 1035/2021);
“health product” has the meaning given by section 2(1) of the Health Products Act 2007;
“licensee” means a person who holds a licence to provide a contingency care service;
“medical transport service” has the meaning 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;
“minor surgical procedure” has the meaning given by paragraph 2 of the First Schedule to the Act;
“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;
“personnel”, in relation to a licensee, means any individual employed or engaged by the licensee to assist the licensee in providing a contingency care service;
“pharmaceutical service” means —
(a)
the procurement, storage and control, dispensing, distribution, supply and administration of 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; or
(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;
“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;
“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;
“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 22 June 2023.
CHAN YENG KIT
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Singapore.