Who would need to be professionally registered
There are two main options:
Regulating those at Intermediate Life Support and Advanced Life Support only
Ambulance officers and NZDF medics working at ILS or ALS have to make the most serious clinical assessments and judgments. They also have to perform invasive procedures, make clinical judgments and provide drugs under their delegated Authority to Practice. These activities potentially make them the most likely to pose ‘a risk of harm to the health and safety of the public’ because there is potentially more in what they do that could go wrong.
Regulating all clinical personnel practicing at Basic Life Support, Intermediate Life Support and Advanced Life Support
On the other hand, it could be argued that all clinical people in our sector, whatever level they practice at, potentially pose a ‘risk of harm’ to the health and safety of the public because they all have to make clinical assessments and decisions. If decision making and patient management is not robust this could pose a risk to the public.
It is possible to argue that the qualifications at Intermediate Life Support and Advanced Life Support levels means that those practicing at these levels have more knowledge and experience to base their clinical decisions on than those working at the Basic Life Support level.
If regulation under the HPCA Act goes ahead, personnel from all ambulance services in New Zealand, large and small, would be covered as well as medics from New Zealand Defence. Any other clinical person wanting to continue to use the titles and terms which would be protected by regulation would also have to apply to be registered.
Whether the profession thinks Ambulance Officers, Emergency Medical Technicians, Junior Medics, AO2s, BLS2s and Paramedics practicing at BLS level should be regulated is something that needs to be discussed as part of this consultation process.
Due to the variety and level of training and the limited scope of practice at First Responder and current Primary Care levels, it is unlikely that people at this level would be regulated.
This would not have any impact on the way they work because, in an ambulance, they already work with others who have a delegated Authority to Practice which is similar to working with somebody who would be registered, with an Annual Practicing Certificate.
Regulation is unlikely to affect those working at Primary Care level because this Practice Level is being phased out.
Both volunteers and paid staff could be covered by regulation. It would depend on your Practice Level described above, rather than whether you are paid or volunteer.