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Tag: Event Organiser Guide

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It’s 2:30 pm on Saturday. Your event is going brilliantly. The sun’s out, the crowds are happy, everything’s running smoothly.
Then someone collapses. They’re having a seizure. You’re facing an event medical emergency.
What happens next depends entirely on the type of event medical cover you’ve booked.
Let’s walk through two versions of this event medical emergency. Same scenario. Same seizure. But two very different outcomes.

The Event Medical Emergency: A Seizure Scenario

You’re running a local rugby tournament. 500 competitors, 2,000 spectators. A 28-year-old player comes off the pitch after a tackle. He seems fine initially, then suddenly collapses and starts having a seizure.
His teammates are panicking. Parents are watching. Your event medical team rushes over.
Now let’s see what happens with two different types of event medical cover when someone has a seizure at your event.

Version 1: The Self-Employed Paramedic (No CQC Registration)

Minute 1: The Response

Your event medical cover arrives quickly. It’s a single paramedic you found through a Facebook group. He’s experienced, professional, and knows what he’s doing clinically.
He assesses the situation. Classic tonic-clonic seizure. The player is convulsing, unresponsive, at risk of injury.

Minute 2: The Protocol

The paramedic knows the protocol for a seizure at an event:
  • Protect the patient from injury
  • Time the seizure
  • Prepare to manage the airway if needed
  • If the seizure lasts more than 5 minutes, administer emergency medication
He does everything right for the first four steps. He clears the area, cushions the player’s head, times the seizure, and monitors his airway.

Minute 5: The Problem

The seizure hasn’t stopped. It’s been five minutes now. NICE guidelines are clear: this event medical emergency now requires immediate medication.
This is now status epilepticus—a life-threatening emergency. The risk of permanent brain damage increases with every passing minute. The risk of death is significant.
The player needs buccal midazolam or rectal diazepam to stop the seizure. Now.
Your paramedic knows this. He’s administered it dozens of times in his NHS career. He knows exactly what to do.
But he doesn’t have it.
Why? Because he’s self-employed, not working under a CQC-registered organisation. He can’t access Patient Group Directions (PGDs). He can’t legally purchase or carry these medications.

Minute 6: The Wait Begins

The paramedic calls 999. He’s calm but urgent. The call handler recognises this immediately: Category 1 emergency—the most life-threatening classification there is.
An ambulance is available. It’s dispatched immediately, blue lights and sirens.
Estimated arrival time: 20 minutes.
Not because there’s a major incident. Not because resources are stretched. Simply because your rugby club is rural, and the ambulance has to physically travel from the nearest station.
Yes, they’re using blue lights and sirens. Yes, they’re going as fast as safely possible. But lights and sirens only reduce journey time by about 10%. Physics doesn’t care about emergencies. The ambulance still has to cover 15 miles of country roads.
Twenty minutes. For a condition where every minute counts.

Minute 7-25: The Deterioration

The seizure continues. Your paramedic is doing everything within his capability:
  • Managing the airway
  • Administering high-flow oxygen
  • Monitoring vital signs
  • Positioning to prevent aspiration
  • Constant reassurance to the family (though the player can’t hear him)
But without the medication to stop the seizure, he’s fighting a losing battle.
And now there’s another problem: oxygen.
The standard portable oxygen cylinder he’s carrying has about 30 minutes of high-flow oxygen. He’s already used 7 minutes. If the ambulance doesn’t arrive soon, he’ll run out. Then what? Does he reduce the oxygen flow to make it last longer, compromising the patient’s care? Does he switch to his backup cylinder (if he even has one), knowing that won’t last either?
The risks are mounting with every minute:
  • Brain damage: After 5 minutes of continuous seizure activity, neurons begin to die
  • Hypoxia: Despite oxygen therapy, prolonged seizure activity affects oxygen delivery to the brain
  • Aspiration: Risk of vomiting and inhaling stomach contents
  • Cardiac complications: The physical strain of prolonged seizure activity
  • Rhabdomyolysis: Muscle breakdown from continuous convulsions
  • Hyperthermia: Body temperature rising dangerously
  • Death: Status epilepticus has a mortality rate of 10-20%, even with treatment
The crowd is watching. Parents are filming on phones. The player’s family is distraught, asking “Why can’t you give him something? Why can’t you stop it?”
Your paramedic has to explain: “I can’t. I don’t have the medication. The ambulance is coming.”
At minute 20, he’s watching his oxygen gauge drop. He’s making impossible calculations: reduce the flow now to make it last, or keep it high and hope the ambulance arrives in the next 10 minutes?
Your event has stopped. Everyone’s focused on this one terrifying scene. A young man having a seizure on the ground for over 20 minutes while everyone waits, and the medical team is running out of oxygen.

Minute 26: The NHS Ambulance Arrives

Finally—finally—the NHS ambulance arrives. They’ve driven as fast as safely possible, but they can’t teleport.
They administer buccal midazolam immediately. Within two minutes, the seizure stops.
The player has been seizing for over 25 minutes. He’s post-ictal, deeply unconscious, and needs immediate hospital care. There’s a real possibility of permanent neurological damage. The next 24-48 hours will be critical.
He’s blue-lighted to hospital, where he’ll spend days in intensive care.

The Aftermath

  • Your event was disrupted for over 40 minutes
  • The incident is all over social media within the hour: “Player has seizure for 25 minutes at rugby tournament—why couldn’t they stop it?”
  • The player’s family is asking hard questions: “Why didn’t your medical team have the medication? Why did we have to wait so long?”
  • Your insurance company is asking even harder questions about your event medical cover
  • Local news picks up the story: “Life-threatening delay at rugby tournament raises questions about event medical standards”
  • The player survives, but with potential long-term neurological effects from the prolonged seizure
  • Other events start asking: “Should we still book them? What if this happens at our event?”
  • You’re facing potential legal action from the player’s family
Your paramedic did everything he could within his limitations. He was professional, competent, and caring. But those limitations—the inability to access the medication that could have stopped the seizure at 5 minutes instead of 25 minutes—had potentially life-changing consequences.
This wasn’t about skill. This was about systems, governance, and legal authority to carry the medications that save lives.

Version 2: The CQC-Registered Event Medical Provider

Let’s rewind. Same event medical emergency, but this time you’ve booked a CQC-registered event medical provider like Marches Ambulance Service.

Minute 1: The Response

Your event medical team arrives quickly. It’s a paramedic working under full clinical governance, with access to comprehensive equipment and medications.
She assesses the situation. Classic tonic-clonic seizure at an event. She knows exactly what to do.

Minute 2: The Protocol

Same initial steps for managing a seizure at an event:
  • Protect the patient from injury
  • Time the seizure
  • Monitor airway and breathing
  • Prepare medications in case the seizure doesn’t stop
But this time, there’s a crucial difference: she has the medications ready.
She’s already drawn up buccal midazolam, checking the dose, preparing for administration if the seizure reaches 5 minutes.

Minute 5: The Intervention

The seizure hasn’t stopped. It’s been five minutes. This is now status epilepticus—a life-threatening emergency.
No waiting. No calling 999. No hoping an ambulance arrives in time.
The paramedic administers buccal midazolam immediately, under her organisation’s Patient Group Direction. It’s legal, it’s appropriate, and it’s exactly what the clinical guidelines recommend.
Treatment time from seizure onset: 5 minutes.

Minute 7: The Resolution

The seizure stops. The medication has worked.
The player is post-ictal (drowsy and confused, which is normal after a seizure) but his airway is clear, he’s breathing well, and the seizure has stopped.
Total seizure duration: 7 minutes. Brain damage risk: minimised. Life-threatening emergency: resolved.
The paramedic continues monitoring. She checks his vital signs, ensures he’s recovering appropriately, and makes a clinical decision about whether he needs hospital transport.

Minute 15: The Clinical Decision

The player is now alert enough to talk. The paramedic takes a full history:
  • Does he have epilepsy? (No, first seizure)
  • Any head injury during the game? (Yes, significant tackle just before)
  • Any other medical history? (None)
Given it’s his first seizure and it followed a head impact, he needs hospital assessment. Your event medical provider has a CQC-registered ambulance on-site. They can transport him directly, with full clinical care en route, monitoring for any complications.
No waiting for 999. No tying up NHS resources. No 20-minute wait for an ambulance to travel from the nearest station. Seamless, professional care from start to finish.

Minute 30: Back to Normal

The player is safely on his way to hospital with his family. Your event medical team has cleared the scene, reassured spectators, and your tournament continues.
The player will be thoroughly assessed at hospital, but because the seizure was stopped quickly, his prognosis is good.

The Aftermath

  • Total disruption time: 15 minutes
  • The player received life-saving medication within 5 minutes of the emergency threshold
  • His family is grateful: “Thank God they had what they needed. They saved him.”
  • Your insurance company is satisfied you had proper, CQC-registered medical cover
  • Social media comments praise your event’s rapid, professional medical response
  • Other organisers ask: “Who did you use for medical cover? We want the same level of care.”
  • The player makes a full recovery with no neurological damage
Same emergency. Same initial presentation. The difference? 20 minutes of life-threatening seizure activity versus immediate, appropriate treatment.
That difference could be the difference between full recovery and permanent brain damage. Between life and death.

Why This Difference Matters for Event Medical Emergencies

The difference between these two scenarios isn’t about the skill or experience of the individual clinician. Both paramedics knew what to do. Both were competent, professional, and trying their best.
The difference is about systems, governance, and legal authority.

What the CQC-Registered Event Medical Provider Had:

  • Patient Group Directions – Legal authority to supply and administer emergency medications for seizures
  • Proper medication stock – Buccal midazolam legally sourced, correctly stored, readily available
  • Clinical governance – Protocols, oversight, and accountability
  • Comprehensive equipment – Everything needed for emergency care including adequate oxygen supplies
  • Transport capability – CQC-registered ambulance for direct hospital transfer
  • Insurance – Full cover for all clinical interventions
  • Accountability – Regulated, inspected, and held to standards

What the Self-Employed Paramedic Didn’t Have:

  • No PGDs – Couldn’t legally carry the seizure medications
  • No medication stock – Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t purchase them legally
  • No clinical governance – Working alone without organisational support
  • Limited equipment – Only what he could personally afford and transport
  • Limited oxygen – Standard cylinder running out during prolonged emergency
  • No transport capability – Had to wait for NHS ambulance
  • Questionable insurance – May not cover all scenarios
  • No accountability – No regulatory oversight
The patient paid the price for that difference.

This Isn’t Just About Seizures at Events

Seizures are just one example. The same event medical emergency pattern plays out with other conditions:

Severe Asthma Attacks

  • Without PGDs: Can’t administer nebulised salbutamol or ipratropium bromide. Wait for NHS ambulance while the patient struggles to breathe.
  • With PGDs: Immediate nebuliser therapy, patient improves within minutes.

Anaphylaxis

  • Without proper cover: May have one EpiPen, but what if the patient needs a second dose? What about IV fluids, antihistamines, steroids?
  • With proper cover: Full anaphylaxis protocol, multiple medication options, comprehensive treatment.

Major Trauma with Bleeding

  • Without PGDs: Can’t administer Tranexamic Acid (TXA), which reduces mortality by up to 30% when given early.
  • With PGDs: TXA administered immediately, bleeding controlled, better outcomes.

Cardiac Chest Pain

  • Without proper medication access: Can’t give GTN spray (purchasing problem), limited pain relief options.
  • With proper cover: Full cardiac protocol, appropriate medications, ECG monitoring, direct hospital transfer.
Every emergency has the same pattern: proper event medical cover makes the difference between immediate, appropriate treatment and waiting while the situation deteriorates.

“But Seizures at Events Are Rare, Right?”

You might be thinking: “This is an extreme scenario. How often does someone have a seizure at an event?”
At any event with significant numbers, an event medical emergency like a seizure is a realistic possibility.
Epilepsy Action reports that 1 in 100 people in the UK has epilepsy. At an event with 2,000 people, that’s statistically 20 people who have epilepsy.
Most of them will be well-controlled on medication. But seizures can be triggered by:
  • Stress and excitement
  • Lack of sleep (common at multi-day events)
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Flashing lights
  • Physical exertion
  • Head injuries (especially at sports events)
  • Missing medication doses
And that’s just epilepsy. First-time seizures at events can also be caused by:
  • Head injuries
  • Heatstroke
  • Low blood sugar
  • Alcohol or drug use
  • Infections
  • Stroke
At any event with significant numbers of people, a seizure is a realistic possibility.
The question isn’t “will someone have a seizure at my event?” It’s “when someone has a seizure at my event, can my event medical cover actually help?”

What High-Risk Events Need When Someone Has a Seizure

If you’re running high-risk events, rugby, football, equestrian, motorsport, boxing, martial arts the stakes are even higher.
These events have increased risk of:
  • Head injuries leading to seizures
  • Major trauma requiring immediate medication
  • Cardiac events from extreme exertion
  • Serious bleeding requiring TXA
You cannot afford to have event medical cover that can’t respond appropriately when someone has a seizure at your event.
Imagine explaining to a competitor’s family that your medical provider couldn’t administer the medication that might have prevented brain damage. Imagine the insurance investigation. Imagine the headlines.
Now imagine the alternative: proper, CQC-registered event medical cover that can respond immediately with the right medications, the right equipment, and the right clinical governance.
Which would you rather have?

The Cost Question

“CQC-registered event medical providers cost more,” you’re thinking.
Yes, they do. Let’s be honest about that.
A self-employed paramedic might charge £25-35 per hour. A CQC-registered provider might charge £40-50 per hour (or more, depending on the event requirements).
For an 8-hour event, that’s a difference of £120-200.
Now let’s talk about the other costs when someone has a seizure at your event:
If something goes wrong with inadequate event medical cover:
  • Legal liability: £tens of thousands to £millions
  • Insurance premium increases: £thousands per year
  • Reputational damage: loss of future bookings, sponsors pulling out
  • Regulatory action: fines, license restrictions
  • Personal guilt: priceless
Versus the cost of proper cover:
  • An extra £120-200 for the event
  • Peace of mind: priceless
  • Proper protection: priceless
  • Professional response when it matters: priceless
Which is the better investment?

What You Should Be Asking About Seizure Response

When you’re booking event medical cover, don’t just ask “how much?” ask about their event medical emergency response capabilities:

1. “Do you operate under Patient Group Directions?”

If no, they can’t administer critical emergency medications for seizures.

2. “What medications do you carry for seizures?”

Specifically ask about: buccal midazolam, rectal diazepam. If they don’t have these, they can’t treat prolonged seizures.

3. “Can you show me your PGD documentation?”

A legitimate provider will have comprehensive PGDs and will share them (within confidentiality limits).

4. “What happens if someone has a prolonged seizure at my event?”

Listen to their answer. Do they have immediate treatment available, or do they wait for NHS backup?

5. “Are you CQC-registered for treatment of disease, disorder, and injury?”

Not just transportation. Actual treatment.

6. “How much oxygen do you carry?”

For a prolonged emergency, do they have adequate supplies?

7. “What’s your response protocol for seizures at events?”

They should be able to articulate clear protocols based on NICE guidelines.

8. “Do you have transport capability, or do we wait for NHS ambulances?”

Waiting for 999 in a rural location could mean 20-30 minute delays.

The Bottom Line

When you face an event medical emergency like a seizure at your event, you want cover that can:
  • Respond immediately
  • Administer appropriate medication within 5 minutes
  • Provide comprehensive clinical care
  • Have adequate oxygen and equipment for prolonged emergencies
  • Transport to hospital if needed
  • Do all of this legally, safely, and professionally
You don’t want event medical cover that has to stand there, watching someone seize for 20+ minutes, running out of oxygen, waiting for an NHS ambulance because they don’t have legal access to the medications that could stop it.
At Marches Ambulance Service, we’re a CQC-registered event medical provider with comprehensive PGDs. Our teams carry buccal midazolam, adequate oxygen supplies, and a full range of emergency medications.
When someone has a seizure at your event, we can treat them immediately. Not in 20 minutes. Not when the NHS ambulance arrives. Immediately.
No subcontractors. No surprises. No waiting while emergencies deteriorate.
Can your current event medical cover say the same?
Want to know what medications and capabilities your event medical cover should have? Download our free guide: “The Event Organiser’s Guide to Medical Cover” or get in touch: hello@marchesambulance.co.uk
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You’ve booked your event medical provider. The quote looked reasonable. The provider seemed professional on the phone. They’ve sent over some paperwork. Job done, right?
But here’s a question you probably haven’t asked: Who’s actually checking this event medical provider?
Who’s verifying their staff are who they say they are? Who’s ensuring they’re qualified, insured, and safe to work with vulnerable people? Who’s making sure your event medical provider is following proper protocols and maintaining standards? Who’s ensuring they have access to the right medications and equipment?
The uncomfortable answer might be: nobody.

The Story Nobody Wants to Tell

A few years ago, we were commissioned to provide a CQC-registered conveying ambulance at a school triathlon event. Hundreds of kids, aged 8-16, competing in swimming, cycling, and running. It’s the kind of event where safeguarding is absolutely paramount.
The event organiser had booked another event medical provider to run the medical cover for the event itself. We were there specifically because they needed a CQC-registered ambulance service for patient transport—something the main provider couldn’t offer.
The guy running the main medical provision seemed really good on the surface. Professional, experienced, confident. He had the uniform, the equipment, the chat. If you’d met him, you’d have thought: “Yeah, this person knows what they’re doing.”
Then we found out the truth.
He’d been struck off the paramedic register. The reason? Child sex offences.
Let that sink in for a moment.
This person was running medical cover at a school event. Surrounded by children. Providing medical care that often involves being alone with young people in vulnerable situations. The event organiser had booked him in good faith, having no idea about his background.
Why? Because he wasn’t working under a CQC-registered organisation. There was no regulatory oversight. No mandatory DBS checks. No verification of his professional registration status. No accountability.
He’d simply set up as a self-employed event medical provider. And schools and event organisers—who had no reason to suspect anything—were booking him.
This is exactly why we were there with a CQC-registered service. Because proper regulation and oversight matter. The event organiser needed a CQC-registered ambulance for transport, but they hadn’t realised the same standards should apply to the entire medical provision.

This Isn’t a One-Off

Before you think “that’s a rare extreme case,” consider this: if there’s no regulatory oversight, how would you know?
Without CQC registration and the accountability that comes with it, there’s nothing stopping anyone from:
  • Setting up as an event medical provider
  • Claiming qualifications they don’t have
  • Using staff who aren’t properly vetted
  • Operating without insurance
  • Ignoring safeguarding requirements
  • Cutting corners on equipment and protocols
And you, as the event organiser, would have no way of knowing until something goes wrong.

What CQC Registration Actually Checks for Your Event Medical Provider

When an event medical provider is CQC-registered (learn more about why CQC registration matters), they’re subject to regulatory oversight that includes:

Staff Recruitment & Vetting:

  • Enhanced DBS checks through the Disclosure and Barring Service for all staff
  • Verification of professional registration with the HCPC (Health and Care Professions Council) or NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council)
  • Qualification verification
  • Reference checks
  • Right to work verification
  • Occupational health clearance

Ongoing Monitoring:

  • Regular CQC inspections (announced and unannounced)
  • Staff competency assessments
  • Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements
  • Clinical supervision
  • Incident reporting and investigation

Accountability:

  • Public ratings (Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, Inadequate)
  • Published inspection reports
  • Regulatory action for failures
  • Legal consequences for serious breaches

Safeguarding:

  • Safeguarding policies and procedures
  • Staff training on safeguarding
  • Clear reporting mechanisms
  • DBS renewal requirements
  • Fitness to practice monitoring
  • Following government safeguarding guidance for events involving children and vulnerable adults
A non-CQC registered event medical provider? They have none of this. They’re accountable to nobody.

“But Surely There Are Other Checks?”

You might be thinking: “Even if my event medical provider isn’t CQC-registered, surely there are other ways to verify them?”
Let’s look at what’s actually available:

Professional Registration (HCPC, NMC):

Yes, you can check if someone is registered as a paramedic or nurse. But:
  • Registration doesn’t guarantee they’re currently fit to practice
  • It doesn’t verify they have appropriate insurance
  • It doesn’t confirm they’re working within proper governance structures
  • It doesn’t check their staff (if they’re employing others)

Insurance:

You can ask your event medical provider for proof of insurance. But:
  • Insurance certificates can be faked
  • You won’t know if the policy actually covers what they’re doing
  • You won’t know if they’ve disclosed everything to their insurer
  • You won’t know if claims have been made against them

References:

You can ask for references from previous clients. But:
  • References can be selective (they won’t give you the unhappy clients)
  • Previous clients may not have known what to look for
  • A “professional” appearance doesn’t equal proper practice
  • Problems may not have surfaced yet

DBS Checks:

You can ask if they’re DBS checked. But:
  • They can say “yes” without proving it
  • DBS checks expire and need renewal
  • A clear DBS doesn’t guarantee ongoing fitness to practice
  • If they employ others, are all their staff checked?
Without regulatory oversight, you’re relying entirely on trust. And trust isn’t a safeguarding strategy.

The Scenarios That Should Worry You

Let’s think about some realistic scenarios with event medical providers:

Scenario 1: The Unqualified “Paramedic”

Someone sets up as an event medical provider, claiming to be a qualified paramedic. They’ve got a uniform, some equipment, and a professional website. Event organisers book them.
Reality: They did a first aid course and bought a uniform online. They’re not registered with the HCPC. They have no professional indemnity insurance. They’re making clinical decisions they’re not qualified to make.
Without CQC oversight, who’s checking?

Scenario 2: The Struck-Off Clinician

A paramedic or nurse has been removed from their professional register due to serious misconduct. Maybe clinical incompetence. Maybe something worse. They can’t work for the NHS or any CQC-registered provider.
So they set up independently as an event medical provider. Working events where nobody checks their registration status.
Without CQC oversight, who’s stopping them?

Scenario 3: The Unvetted Staff

An event medical provider employs casual staff for events. They recruit through Facebook groups, often just hours before the event. No DBS checks. No reference checks. No verification of qualifications. Just “can you work Saturday?”
Some of these staff might be excellent. Some might not be. Some might have backgrounds that should absolutely preclude them from working with vulnerable people.
Without CQC oversight, who’s vetting them?

Scenario 4: The Uninsured Provider

An event medical provider claims to have insurance but actually doesn’t. Or has inadequate cover that wouldn’t pay out in a serious incident. They’re gambling that nothing will go wrong.
When something does go wrong, the event organiser discovers there’s no insurance to cover the claim. The liability falls back on them.
Without CQC oversight, who’s verifying the insurance?

“This Couldn’t Happen at My Event”

That’s what every event organiser thinks. Until it does.
The school that booked the struck-off paramedic? They thought they’d done their due diligence. They’d asked for a quote, checked the event medical provider seemed professional, and paid the invoice.
What they hadn’t done—because they didn’t know they needed to—was verify CQC registration. Check HCPC registration status. Ask about safeguarding policies.
Why would they? The provider seemed legitimate.
That’s exactly the problem.

The Regulatory Gap for Event Medical Providers

Here’s the really frustrating part: there’s currently a regulatory loophole for temporary event medical cover.
The CQC doesn’t regulate all event medical providers in the same way they regulate permanent healthcare services. This gap allows providers to operate without oversight, without accountability, and without the checks that would be mandatory in any other healthcare setting.
This loophole needs closing. And it will be. The direction of travel is clear, with upcoming regulations expected to bring all event medical provision under proper regulatory oversight.
But until that happens, the responsibility falls on you as the event organiser to ask the right questions.

What You Should Be Asking Your Event Medical Provider

For more questions to ask, see our complete guide: The Questions Every Event Organiser Should Ask Their Medical Provider

1. “Are you CQC-registered?”

If no, walk away. If yes, ask for their CQC registration number and check it on the CQC website.

2. “Can I see your latest CQC inspection report?”

All inspection reports are public. A legitimate event medical provider will happily share theirs.

3. “What’s your CQC rating?”

Outstanding? Good? Requires Improvement? Inadequate? This tells you a lot.

4. “How do you recruit and vet your staff?”

You want to hear: Enhanced DBS checks, professional registration verification, reference checks, occupational health clearance.

5. “Are all your staff DBS checked?”

Not just “yes.” Ask for evidence of their safeguarding policy and DBS renewal procedures.

6. “Can you provide evidence of your insurance?”

Not just a certificate. Ask what’s covered, what the limits are, and whether it’s appropriate for your event.

7. “What safeguarding policies do you have in place?”

Especially important for events involving children or vulnerable adults.

8. “Can I speak to references from similar events?”

And actually call them. Ask specific questions about professionalism, capability, and any concerns.
Learn more about what proper event medical cover should include and how to verify your provider.

The Cost of Getting It Wrong

“But CQC-registered event medical providers are more expensive,” you’re thinking.
Yes, they are. Because all of this—the vetting, the checks, the oversight, the accountability—costs money.
But what’s the cost of getting it wrong?
What’s the cost when you discover the person providing medical care at your event isn’t who they claimed to be?
What’s the cost when someone is harmed and you discover your event medical provider had no insurance?
What’s the cost when a serious incident occurs and the investigation reveals your provider had no proper qualifications, no oversight, and no accountability?
What’s the cost to your reputation? Your legal liability? Your insurance? And—most importantly—to the people who trusted you to keep them safe?

Every Event Deserves Proper Oversight

It doesn’t matter if you’re running a small community event or a major sporting competition. It doesn’t matter if you’re expecting 100 people or 10,000.
Every event deserves an event medical provider that’s properly regulated, properly vetted, and properly accountable.
Your participants, your spectators, your volunteers—they’re trusting you to keep them safe. That includes trusting you to ensure that anyone providing medical care has been properly checked and is working within appropriate oversight.
You wouldn’t hire a coach driver who wasn’t properly licensed and checked. You wouldn’t hire a food vendor who wasn’t registered with environmental health. You wouldn’t hire security staff who weren’t SIA licensed.
Why would you hire an event medical provider that isn’t properly regulated?

The Bottom Line

Without CQC registration, there’s no independent verification that your event medical provider is:
  • Who they say they are
  • Qualified to do what they’re doing
  • Employing properly vetted staff
  • Following appropriate protocols
  • Maintaining proper standards
  • Adequately insured
You’re relying entirely on trust. And in safeguarding, trust isn’t enough.
At Marches Ambulance Service, we’re a CQC-registered event medical provider, regularly inspected. All our staff undergo enhanced DBS checks, professional registration verification, and comprehensive vetting. We have robust safeguarding policies, proper insurance, and full accountability.
We’re not just telling you we’re professional—we’re proving it through independent regulatory oversight.
No subcontractors. No surprises. No gaps in accountability.
Can your current event medical provider say the same? More importantly, can they prove it?
Want to know what questions to ask your medical provider? Download our free guide: “The Event Organiser’s Guide to Medical Cover” or get in touch: hello@marchesambulance.co.uk
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You’ve done everything right. You’ve hired an event paramedic for your event. They’ve got the uniform, the qualifications, the experience. You can tick that box on your risk assessment with confidence, right?
Not so fast.
Here’s a question that might keep you awake tonight: What happens if someone at your event has a severe asthma attack or a seizure? Can your event paramedic actually treat them?
The uncomfortable truth is: probably not.

The Event Paramedic Medication Problem Nobody Talks About

Let’s paint a picture. It’s Saturday afternoon at your community festival. A spectator, a young mum watching her kids on the bouncy castle, suddenly can’t breathe. She’s used her inhaler, but it’s not working. She’s getting worse. Fast.
Your event paramedic rushes over, assesses the situation, and reaches for… nothing.
Because they can’t.
Salbutamol delivered via a nebuliser is the gold-standard treatment for a severe asthma attack. It can be life-saving. Your event paramedic knows exactly what to do, they’ve done it hundreds of times in their NHS career.
But here’s the problem: they don’t have any salbutamol with them.
“But they’re a event paramedic!” I hear you say. “Why wouldn’t they have it?”
Because they can’t buy it.

The Purchasing Problem

Here’s something most event organisers have no idea about: even though an event paramedic is legally allowed to administer salbutamol in an emergency (it’s a Schedule 19 medication under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012), they cannot purchase it without a doctor or prescriber’s sign-off.
And here’s where it gets even murkier: even if your self-employed paramedic finds a friendly GP willing to prescribe salbutamol to them, that prescription is in their name, not the patient’s. Using medication prescribed to one person to treat another person? That’s a legal and ethical minefield.
The same problem applies to GTN spray (glyceryl trinitrate) for chest pain—a paramedic can administer it under Schedule 19, but they can’t purchase it without a prescription. And if it’s prescribed to them personally, can they legally give it to your event attendee having a heart attack?
Unless your self-employed paramedic has a friendly GP willing to prescribe it to them personally (ethically questionable at best), or they’re working under a proper Patient Group Direction within a CQC-registered organisation (the legal way), they simply won’t have it.
And it gets worse. For a severe asthma attack, best clinical practice is to administer ipratropium bromide alongside salbutamol, studies show this combination significantly improves outcomes in acute severe asthma. But ipratropium bromide requires a Patient Group Direction (PGD) to administer. Even if your self-employed paramedic somehow got hold of it, they cannot legally give it without working under a PGD.
Other critical emergency medications that require PGDs include:
  • Ondansetron for severe nausea and vomiting
  • Co-amoxiclav for infections requiring antibiotic treatment
  • Tranexamic Acid (TXA) for life-threatening bleeds
  • Diazepam (or buccal midazolam) for prolonged seizures
  • Ipratropium Bromide for respiratory emergencies
And even for medications where paramedics have exemptions under Schedule 17 & 19 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 (like adrenaline and morphine), there’s still the purchasing problem—they can administer them in an emergency, but they can’t buy them without proper authorisation.
Your paramedic might be trained to use them. They might be legally allowed to administer some of them in an emergency. But if they can’t purchase them in the first place, or if purchasing them creates legal and ethical problems, they won’t have them at your event.

Welcome to the World of PGDs

This is where Patient Group Directions (PGDs) come in.
PGDs are the legal framework that allows healthcare professionals to supply and administer prescription-only medicines to patients without an individual prescription. They solve the purchasing problem and create a proper clinical governance structure around medication use.
Here’s the crucial bit: PGDs must be held by an organisation, not an individual.
According to NHS England guidance, to use PGDs you must be:
  1. A CQC-registered ambulance service or private provider
  2. Registered specifically for ‘treatment of disease, disorder or injury’ (not just transportation)
A self-employed event paramedic, no matter how qualified or experienced, working outside of a CQC-registered organisation, cannot legally operate under PGDs.
Which means they can’t purchase the medications legally and safely. Which means they won’t have them at your event.

The Legal Reality: Why “Getting a Prescription” Doesn’t Work

What This Means for Your Event Paramedic

Some people reading this might think: “Well, can’t the paramedic just get their GP to prescribe these medications to them?”
No. And here’s exactly why that’s illegal.

The Legal Mechanics (Human Medicines Regulations 2012)

Under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012:
A prescription may only be issued for a named individual for the treatment of that individual’s own medical condition.
Once dispensed, those medicines are legally that person’s property and may only be used for their personal therapeutic use, not for onward supply or administration to another person.
So if a GP (or any other independent prescriber) writes a private prescription for a paramedic, even if the intention is professional use, the pharmacy dispenses it for the paramedic’s personal treatment, not as stock for patient care.
Using or even carrying it “for patient care” would constitute unlawful possession and unauthorised supply of a prescription-only medicine.

Why This Matters: The Professional Consequences

If a GP knowingly prescribes a prescription-only medicine (POM) to another clinician for stock purposes, they would breach:
And the paramedic would breach:
The Care Quality Commission (CQC), MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency), and the HCPC all treat this as unlawful stockholding.

Professional Interpretation (HCPC & MHRA)

Both regulators have made it crystal clear in their guidance:
Medicines obtained on a personal prescription may not be used for treating patients. They are for the named individual’s own therapeutic use only.
This isn’t a grey area. This isn’t open to interpretation. This is black and white.

Real-World Enforcement

This isn’t theoretical. Regulators have taken action:
  • HCPC vs [Paramedic, 2019]: Suspended for using self-prescribed diazepam “for patient anxiety”
  • GPhC / MHRA cases: Pharmacists disciplined for dispensing “stock” to clinicians on personal prescriptions

The Bottom Line for Event Organisers

🔴 It would be unlawful and professionally indefensible for a self-employed paramedic to use medicines prescribed “to themselves” for patient treatment.
Even if a GP issues the prescription in good faith, both parties would breach medicines legislation and professional standards.
This means:
  • The GP could face GMC sanctions
  • The paramedic could face HCPC sanctions (including suspension or removal from the register)
  • Both could face criminal prosecution under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012
  • Any insurance would likely be invalidated
  • You, as the event organiser, could be implicated in facilitating unlawful medicine supply

What This Means for Your Event

When you book a self-employed paramedic who isn’t working under a CQC-registered organisation with proper PGDs, one of three things is happening:
  1. They don’t have these medications at all (most common)
  2. They’re obtaining them illegally (through personal prescriptions or other means)
  3. They’re carrying leftover NHS stock (also illegal)
None of these scenarios are acceptable for your event.
And if something goes wrong—if they administer medication they shouldn’t have, or if they don’t have medication they should have—where does that leave you?

What Your Event Paramedic Can’t Do: Real Scenarios

Let’s go back to our real-world scenarios:
Scenario 1: The Severe Asthma Attack
Your spectator is struggling to breathe. She’s used her own inhaler multiple times, it’s not working. She needs nebulised salbutamol urgently. Your self-employed paramedic knows this. But they don’t have any salbutamol because they couldn’t buy it legally.
Even worse: for a severe asthma attack like this, best practice is to administer ipratropium bromide alongside the salbutamol, it significantly improves outcomes and can reduce hospital admissions. But ipratropium bromide requires a PGD to administer. Your paramedic can’t legally give it even if they somehow had access to it.
So you wait for the NHS ambulance. Her condition deteriorates. Every minute counts.
Scenario 2: The Prolonged Seizure
A competitor at your sports event has a seizure. It’s been going for three minutes now, well beyond the point where it should have stopped naturally. NICE guidelines are clear: seizures lasting more than five minutes need emergency medication. They need buccal midazolam or rectal diazepam to stop the seizure. Your paramedic has done this dozens of times before. But they don’t have the medication because they need a PGD to access it. The seizure continues. Brain damage becomes a real risk. You wait.
Scenario 3: The Cardiac Chest Pain
Someone at your event is experiencing severe chest pain. Classic cardiac symptoms. They need GTN spray immediately. Your paramedic is trained to administer it, it’s covered under Schedule 19. But they don’t have any because they couldn’t legally purchase it without a prescription in their own name (which creates that legal grey area we talked about). You wait. Time is muscle. Every minute without treatment means more heart damage.
Scenario 4: The Major Bleed
A competitor at your equestrian event has a serious fall. There’s significant bleeding. Tranexamic Acid (TXA) can reduce mortality in major trauma by up to 30% when given early. Your paramedic knows this. But TXA requires a PGD. They don’t have it. You wait.
These aren’t rare, exotic emergencies. These are common medical situations that happen at events up and down the country every single weekend.

“But Surely They’d Have Something?”

Some self-employed event paramedic’s work around this by:
  • Begging a friendly doctor to prescribe medications to them personally (now you know why this is illegal)
  • Carrying leftover medications from previous NHS shifts (definitely not legal)
  • Relying entirely on patients’ own prescribed medications
  • Simply not carrying these medications at all and hoping nothing happens
None of these are acceptable solutions for a professional medical service at your event.

The Clinical Governance Question

PGDs aren’t just about purchasing medications. They’re part of something much bigger: clinical governance.
The Care Quality Commission defines clinical governance as “a framework through which organisations are accountable for continuously improving the quality of their services and safeguarding high standards of care.”
A CQC-registered organisation with proper PGDs also has:
  • Robust prescribing protocols – When, how, and why medications are used
  • Clinical oversight – Senior clinicians reviewing practice and incidents
  • Audit trails – Every medication administered is tracked and reviewed
  • Proper supply chains – Medications sourced legally, stored correctly (including temperature control), and managed safely
  • Accountability – Clear lines of responsibility and professional standards
  • Insurance – Proper cover for medication administration and supply
  • Stock management – Ensuring medications are in date, stored at correct temperatures, and available when needed
  • Legal compliance – Medications purchased and supplied legally, not through questionable workarounds
When you book a self-employed paramedic directly, you get none of this. And if something goes wrong, where does that leave you as the event organiser?

Every Event Is at Risk

“But we’re just a small community event,” you might be thinking. “We’re not a high-risk motorsport or equestrian competition.”
That’s exactly the point.
According to Asthma + Lung UK, 5.4 million people in the UK are currently receiving treatment for asthma. That’s roughly 1 in 12 people. Epilepsy Action reports that 1 in 100 people in the UK has epilepsy. Heart disease remains the UK’s biggest killer.
Every event, regardless of size or type, has the potential for a medical emergency that requires more than basic first aid.
The question is: when that emergency happens, can your event paramedic actually provide the treatment needed?

High-Risk Events Need Even More

If you’re running high-risk events, equestrian, motorsport, autograss, mountain biking, extreme sports, this matters even more.
These aren’t just asthma attacks. These are events where major trauma is a realistic possibility. Where you might need:
  • Tranexamic Acid for life-threatening bleeds
  • Ketamine for pain relief and sedation
  • Advanced airway management medications
  • Cardiac arrest drugs
A self-employed event paramedic without PGDs and CQC backing won’t have access to any of this.
You wouldn’t hire a driver without a licence to transport your equipment. Why would you hire medical cover that can’t legally access the medications your participants might need?

The Cost of Proper Clinical Governance

“This sounds expensive,” you’re thinking.
You’re right. It is.
Developing and maintaining PGDs costs money. CQC registration costs money. Clinical governance systems cost money. Proper medication supply chains cost money. Insurance costs money. Legal compliance costs money.
This is why CQC-registered providers like Marches Ambulance Service charge more than someone you find on a Facebook group offering “event paramedic cover” for £25 an hour.
But here’s the real question: What’s the cost of NOT having it?
What’s the cost when someone has a life-threatening asthma attack at your event and your medical provider literally doesn’t have the medication that could save their life?
What’s the cost when someone has a heart attack and your paramedic can’t administer GTN because they couldn’t legally purchase it?
What’s the cost when a seizure continues for 25 minutes whilst waiting for the ambulance, because your paramedic doesn’t have access to diazepam?
What’s the cost to your reputation, your insurance, your legal liability, and most importantly, to the person who needed help?

The Bottom Line

Having a paramedic at your event is not the same as having proper event medical cover.
A paramedic working independently, outside of a CQC-registered organisation, probably cannot legally purchase the medications that could save someone’s life at your event.
Even if they’re trained to use them. Even if they’re legally allowed to administer some of them in an emergency.
If they can’t buy it legally, they won’t have it. And if they don’t have it, they can’t use it. And if they try to work around it with questionable prescriptions in their own name, you’re both in a legal grey area you don’t want to be in.
That’s not a criticism of individual paramedics, many are excellent clinicians doing their best within the constraints they’re working under. But it IS a criticism of a system that allows event organisers to think they’re getting comprehensive medical cover when they’re actually getting something far less.
You deserve to know what you’re paying for. More importantly, the people at your event deserve medical cover that can actually deliver when it matters most.
At Marches Ambulance Service, we’re CQC-registered for treatment of disease, disorder, and injury. We operate under comprehensive PGDs. Our paramedics have legal access to salbutamol, ipratropium bromide, GTN spray, diazepam, TXA, ondansetron, and a range of other critical medications. We have proper supply chains, robust clinical governance systems, and full insurance.
No subcontractors. No surprises. No gaps in care when someone needs us most.
Is your current provider able to say the same?
Want to know more about what proper event medical cover looks like? Download our free guide: “The Event Organiser’s Guide to Medical Cover” or get in touch: hello@marchesambulance.co.uk

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