Healthcare Services (Contingency Care Service) Regulations 2023

Source: Singapore Statutes Online | Archived by Legal Wires


No. S 427
Healthcare Services Act 2020
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.
PART 2
LICENSING MATTERS
Specified service
4.  For the purposes of section 9A(1) of the Act, a collaborative prescribing service is a specified service for a contingency care service.
Prohibited service delivery modes
5.  A licensee must not provide a contingency care service by any of the following service delivery modes:
(a)at any premises other than permanent premises;
(b)using a conveyance;
(c)by remote provision.
PART 3
REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO PERSONNEL
Qualifications, skills and competencies of Clinical Governance Officer
6.  For the purposes of section 24(3)(b) of the Act, an individual is suitably qualified to be appointed as a Clinical Governance Officer for a contingency care service or a specified service for a contingency care service if the individual —
(a)is registered under section 20(1) or (2) of the Medical Registration Act 1997 as a fully registered medical practitioner and holds a valid practising certificate under that Act; and
(b)has one of the following:
(i)registration under section 22 of the Medical Registration Act 1997 as a specialist in any branch of medicine;
(ii)registration under section 22A of the Medical Registration Act 1997 as a family physician in the Register of Family Physicians;
(iii)full‑time work experience as a medical practitioner for a continuous period of at least 5 years or an aggregate period of at least 5 years during a continuous period of 10 years, in treating patients —
(A)in the provision of an outpatient medical service, outpatient renal dialysis service, acute hospital service or a community hospital service provided in a private hospital, medical clinic or healthcare establishment (as the case may be) licensed under the repealed Act; or
[S 839/2023 wef 18/12/2023]
(B)in the provision of an outpatient medical service, outpatient renal dialysis service, acute hospital service or a community hospital service licensed under the Act.
No employment or engagement of unauthorised persons to practise medicine
7.  A licensee must not employ or engage any person to practise medicine or do any act as a medical practitioner unless the person is a medical practitioner.
PART 4
APPROVED PERMANENT PREMISES,
EQUIPMENT, ETC.
Approved permanent premises, equipment, etc.
8.—(1)  A licensee must ensure that —
(a)every approved permanent premises is operating at all times;
(b)every approved permanent premises is designed and built in a manner that provides a proper, safe and conducive environment for the treatment of every patient, including a patient who suffers from a physical disability;
(c)every approved permanent premises is adequately and properly equipped to address the mobility requirements of every patient, including a patient who suffers from a physical disability; and
(d)a security system is established and implemented at every approved permanent premises to ensure the safety of the personnel, patients and visitors at every approved permanent premises.
(2)  A licensee must —
(a)ensure that there is a process to facilitate prompt access to adequate supplies of equipment, materials and other supplies which are necessary for the provision of any contingency care service in a proper, effective and safe manner; and
(b)where there is any instruction manual for any equipment or material mentioned in sub‑paragraph (a) — ensure that the instruction manual is made available for reference by any personnel who uses or intends to use the equipment or material.
Backup utilities
9.—(1)  A licensee must ensure that there is access to emergency power and lighting in every approved permanent premises to ensure the provision of a contingency care service in a proper, effective and safe manner.
(2)  Without limiting paragraph (1), the licensee must ensure that —
(a)the emergency power and lighting are sufficient to ensure that any procedure that has commenced may be safely completed; and
(b)where any life support equipment is used, the life support equipment is connected to an emergency power supply at all times during its use.
Notification of addition or removal of beds
10.  A licensee who intends to add or remove a bed at any approved permanent premises used for the provision of a contingency care service must, no later than 2 months before the bed is added or removed, notify the Director‑General of the intended addition or removal.
 
Made on 22 June 2023.
CHAN YENG KIT
Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Health,
Singapore.
[MH 78:44/1; AG/LEGIS/SL/122E/2020/41 Vol. 1]

Archived for legal research. Authoritative version at sso.agc.gov.sg.