Medical cover in event organising is extremely important, and selecting the right medical cover is vital to ensure your event runs smoothly and that everyone is as safe as possible. Here are 4 key questions to guide you as you consider choosing your event medical cover:
What is the nature of your event?
When considering how to go about selecting the right medical cover for your event, you first need to think about what type of event you are organising.
- What kind of event are you holding?
- What activities will be occurring and what risks will come with these?
- How many people will be at your event?
- Where is your event located?
Questions like these will be essential in deciding what kind and what level of medical cover you will require.
What level of medical cover do you need and how much medical cover will you require?
There is a range of different kinds of medical cover for events. Depending on the kind of event you are holding and the varying level of risk associated with it, what level of medical personnel you require will change.
Here are some of the job titles within the medical field:
- First Aider
- Medical First Responder
- Emergency Medical Technician
- Nurse
- Physiotherapist
- Doctor
- Paramedic
Obviously different medical positions have different levels of skills, by considering the level of risk present at your event you can establish what medical cover will be necessary to ensure all your attendees are safe and looked after. Questions about risk, location, and participant numbers will aid you in thinking about how many medical personnel will be necessary and what medical skill mix you will need.
Using tools like the Purple Guide or the HSE Event Safety Guide can help you establish what kind of medical cover and the amount of medical cover that will be required for your event, but also asking a medical company’s advice on what level of cover they recommend will be valuable in deciding what cover you will need for your event.
What medical equipment will you need?
Beyond what medical personnel you are going to require, another key thing to consider when selecting medical cover is what equipment you might need.
- Will you need medical vehicles? What vehicles will be suitable for you venue terrain? Do you have the appropriate ingress and egress routes in place?
- Where will you position the medics you hire? Do you need a gazebo or tent to function as the medical base?
- What, if any, medical equipment is held at your event site? What will need to be supplied or supplemented?
- You will need to make sure you have the correct infrastructure and equipment to assist the medical personnel you hire. Consider how and where patients will be treated and how medics will be able to efficiently access any incidents. Again, this is something it is worth consulting your medical provider about, or looking back at how previous events have managed similar logistics.
Is the medical company you have chosen reputable?
The last, and probably the most important, thing you need to consider when choosing your medical provider is their reputability.
- Do they have the correct licenses, registrations and certifications?
- Are they reliable and competent?
- Are they trustworthy to depend on for your event?
When choosing medical cover you must ensure that the company you have chosen has all the correct registrations and certifications. For example, in England Ambulance Services that undertake off-site transfers are required to be registered with the Care Quality Commission. Consider checking that the company you are trusting with your medical cover has all the correct credentials and insurance, and that you can rely on them to provide competent and qualified medical personnel.
Looking at what previous events they have covered and checking their reviews from other event organisers is always a good idea to establish a company’s efficiency and professionalism. You want to make sure that the medical cover you choose for your event is of an appropriate standard so you can rely on them to provide effective, proficient, and safe cover for your event.
