Check if you need to register your ambulance service

Page last updated: 2 May 2024

Other activities we regulate

You may also need to register for other activities we regulate.

Treatment of disease, disease or injury

If you will also treat patients, you should register for the treatment of disease, disorder or injury.

Diagnostic and screening procedures

You may need to register for diagnostic and screening procedures. For example, if you carry out x-rays and other similar tasks.

There are exemptions and exclusions.

Surgical procedures

The treatment of disease, disorder or injury may include some treatments or procedures. For example, we include these procedures:

emergency tracheotomy
insertion of a chest drain
intubation.

This means you may not need to register for surgical procedures as well. But you must state in your statement of purpose that you carry out such procedures. To do this you must include this information in either:

the aims and objectives part of the online application form (for a new provider application), or
your updated statement of purpose (for a change to an existing registration)

As an expected part of your service, you might carry out procedures that need specialist surgical training and equipment. For example:

thoracotomy that involves more than inserting a chest drain
amputation.

So you must register for the surgical procedures activity.

But you will not be committing an offence if you:

do not register for surgical procedures
carry out emergency surgery that you would not normally have expected to carry out.

We will always apply the law in a proportionate manner.

Types of service you might provide

You might not need to register to carry out activities we regulate.

Patient transport

The type of vehicle you use determines whether you need to register. CQC regulates any vehicle designed or modified to transport people who need treatment.

You need to determine if the vehicles you use are defined as transport services.

Temporary events

Care on site

Temporary sporting and cultural events could involve providing any care and treatment on:

an event site
associated premises - such as a public road during a marathon.

This is not an activity we regulate. This exemption applies to anyone taking part in or spectating the event.

A registered professional providing treatment at a temporary event will be held to account in line with the requirements of their professional registration.

But if you carry out x-rays and other similar tasks on event sites, you must register for the diagnostic and screening procedures you carry on at the site.

Transport off site

If you transport people to hospital in an ambulance, you should register.

If you transport people away from an event, you may need to register. And if you treat those patients while in transit, you should also register for treatment of disease, disorder or injury.

Air ambulances

Some air ambulances are exempt from registration.

If an air ambulance charity does not provide any clinical care, it does not need to register for patient transport. We will regulate the treatment of disease, disorder or injury through the provider responsible for the care. For example, this could be an NHS ambulance trust.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regulates an air ambulance provider that only provides the vehicle and flight crew. CQC has a memorandum of understanding with the CAA.

If an air ambulance charity provides some of its own clinical staff (such as a doctor), they must register with CQC for both:

Medical repatriation

Any care given under the terms of a travel insurance policy is exempt from CQC registration. This type of work would constitute most medical repatriation work.

Transport of blood, tissue and organs

The transport of blood, tissues and organs is exempt from CQC regulation.

Transport of people who need treatment to special schools?