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Set Medical Provision

If you’re arranging medical cover for a film set, TV production, or live event, it’s important to understand when the healthcare you provide might be regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

This tool is designed to help productions assess whether the type of medical support you plan to provide – and who it’s provided to – may fall within the scope of CQC registration requirements.

Why This Matters

In the UK, healthcare professionals don’t just need to be qualified and registered with their professional body to practise, they or their organisation may also need to be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, certain types of care are defined as Regulated Activities – regulated by the CQC – including:

TREATMENT OF DISEASE, DISORDER OR INJURY
Anything beyond basic first aid
TDDI

This regulated activity applies to the treatment of disease, disorder or injury in any setting, not just hospitals, clinics, hospices, ambulances, GP and dental surgeries, community services, and care homes.

DIAGNOSTIC OR SCEENING PROCEDURES
Inc blood pressure checks, pulse oximetry, or assessments
Diagnostics / Screening

Covers a wide range of procedures related to diagnostics, screening and physiological measurement including taking or analysing samples, most physiological measurements where the information is needed to plan and deliver care or treatment.

TRANSPORT / TRIAGE / REMOTE ADVICE
Inc hospital conveyance or video consultations
Transport & Triage

Transport services for carrying a person who requires treatment in a vehicle designed for the primary purpose of transporting people who need treatment – so ambulances etc are covered, cars aren’t.

What’s Changing?

It’s been the case for many years that there are many Regulated Activities in healthcare. Treatment of disease, disorder or injury, diagnostic and screening procedures and transport services, triage and medical advice provided remotely are the ones that mainly impact productions and events, but there are many more.

First Aid and Occupational Health have always been (and remain) out of scope of registraion (and CQC inspection) but these are very tightly defined and it’s easy to cross the line between ‘first aid’ and treatment of disease, disorder or injury. We’ll return to that.

Until now, there have also been exemptions for:

  • Temporary healthcare at sporting or cultural events;
  • Treatment provided in sports grounds or gyms.

However, these exemptions are being removed later this year following safety concerns and recommendations from the Manchester Arena Inquiry. This means that even basic care provided to audiences or members of the public may soon require a CQC-registered provider.

Film and TV productions with crew and cast only (even with some extras or contributors) remain out of scope becuase these are primarily workplaces, not events for the public.

What about a TV show with an invited audience?

If the invitees are spectators (e.g. for a comedy show, talent show, talk show) and there is first aid provision for the audience (not just cast/crew) then that looks awfully like a cultural event and so will likely now fall within CQC scope under the amended interpretation – so a medic or paramedic on-site would need CQC registration.

But what about other situations? Use our lookup below and there are more resources further down the page.

Some activities are clearly regulated or clearly not. But many fall into a grey area — their status depends on who is being treated, where, and how. Here are some common examples where context affects whether CQC registration is required.

Activity Out of Scope if… In Scope if…
Basic first aid (plasters, ice packs, reassurance) Delivered to cast/crew in a workplace only Delivered to audience or public at an event
Applying dressings Minor wounds, no clinical judgement With clinical judgement (e.g. assessing wound severity)
Taking blood pressure or other vitals For comfort/welfare, no clinical assessment With intent to assess, diagnose, or decide on care
Calling 999 No care delivered beyond call Accompanied by triage or assessment
Mental health support General wellbeing checks or de-escalation only Clinical decision-making, diagnosis, or safeguarding
Giving oxygen For comfort in known condition (e.g. asthma, under supervision) As part of unsupervised triage or broader treatment
Using pulse oximeter or thermometer For curiosity or non-clinical use Used to inform care or treatment decisions
Triaging a person to continue or leave Welfare-based, no clinical input Clinical judgement made by a healthcare professional
Pain relief OTC painkillers offered informally Analgesics administered with monitoring or prescription advice
On-site care at public event None provided or basic welfare only Any treatment, assessment, or intervention offered to audience/public

This is an important distinction because it is far too easy to inadvertantly cross the threshold from First Aid to Regulated Activity. The CQC are very prescriptice about this and take a dim view of people identifying as ‘first aiders’ as a means to evade the quite onerous task of CQC registration.

It’s important that productions have a scope of work in place for first aid providers – if they don’t, and the provider carries out a Regulated Activity, the production could face legal jeopardy too.

Essentially, it doesn’t matter what you call it, it’s the activity that counts. This is how the CQC defines First Aid:

First aid is the initial response to a sudden illness, condition or injury or exacerbation of an existing illness, restricted to the aim of either alleviating it immediately through simple procedures and/or preventing it from worsening until professional medical help is available.

First Aiders are limited to only assessing the need for onward referral for treatment, and the CQC also says health care professionals cannot use “other specialist skills that reflect their professional training“, only those skills from their first aid training.

For more detailed information, please refer to the CQC website.

According to the CQC, medical or dental service occupational health schemes that:

  • Do not involve treatment requiring admission to hospital;
  • Are organised through an employer;
  • Were these are for the benefit of the employee only;

…are exempt from the need for registration. But anyone treating a mix of people at events or productions should not rely on the occupational health exemption as a blanket justification for avoiding CQC registration.

Let’s break down what the CQC actually says:

Requirement Explanation
Organised through an employer The healthcare is arranged as a formal occupational health scheme by the employer — not ad hoc, not outsourced without structure.
For the benefit of the employee only Only employees of the organisation can access the service. Care for freelancers, contractors, contributors or the public is outside scope.
Structured scheme The care forms part of a structured health programme (e.g. screening, ongoing assessments), not reactive emergency or walk-up care.
No treatment requiring hospital admission Any service that includes treatment escalating to hospital care is no longer considered exempt occupational health.

So if set medics are making clinical judgements (such as return-to-work decisions, wound assessment etc), if they’re treating contributors, freelancers, or audience members, if medication is administered, if equipment like pulse oximeters or ECGs are used – and there’s no formal occupational health provider involved, it’s not occupational health.

Argument Flaw
“We’re here for the crew only” Without a structured OH contract, this is just workplace first aid or ad hoc triage — not occupational health.
“We’re acting in a preventative role” Unless this is part of a formal, employer-run health programme, it’s reactive care, not prevention.
“We don’t treat the public” Even treating contributors, freelancers, or anyone outside direct employment invalidates the exemption.
“It’s just first aid” If clinical judgement, diagnostics, or medicines are involved, it crosses into regulated activity under TDDI.
“The employer pays us” Payment by an employer doesn’t make it an occupational health scheme. The structure and scope of care matter more than who is paying.

You may think an invitation-only corporate event would be out of scope, but that’s not always the case. Even if your guest list is curated and the venue is private, the CQC may still require registration if non-staff (such as clients, press, members of the public) receive healthcare beyond basic first aid.

With the proposed removal of exemptions for temporary healthcare at cultural events, corporate functions involving audiences or guests will increasingly fall within scope, particularly when the healthcare provided involves triage, diagnostics, or clinical judgement.

Event Type Who Might Receive Care Example Care Provided Current Scope After Legislative Changes
Product launch (e.g. in gallery, event space or cinema) Clients, press, public, non-staff guests Medics on-site, basic triage or treatment offered to attendees Borderline (depends on care level) In scope: public attendees + temporary care = Regulated Activity
Drinks reception or corporate showcase Non-staff such as sponsors, stakeholders, invited press Support for fainting, anxiety, injuries, or oxygen use Likely out of scope if first aid only A ‘works event’ would likely be in scope if non-employees might receive first aid or treament
Film screening or premiere General public, press, VIPs First aid with monitoring, triage, or medication Borderline In scope — falls under cultural event care
Invitation-only brand experience (e.g. immersive exhibition) Members of the public via RSVP, influencers, media Clinical assessment of participant wellbeing, use of diagnostic devices Borderline to in scope In scope
Internal corporate event (staff only) Employees, contractors Basic first aid only Out of scope Still out of scope

If you’re filming news, current affairs or documentary content you may assume that healthcare regulation doesn’t apply, especially if the primary purpose is observation or journalism. However, this is not the case under CQC regulations.

If your production provides or arranges healthcare – even in the context of filming a real event or capturing a news story – you may still be within the scope of CQC regulation.

What matters is not the editorial intent behind the filming, but the nature of the care provided, who receives it, and whether it goes beyond first aid.

This is particularly important for documentaries or investigative projects that:

  • Involve vulnerable contributors
  • Provide on-site clinicians or mobile healthcare
  • Offer screening, triage, or treatment
  • Film at events with public attendees and offer care to them

Even if the filming is incidental or reactive the delivery of any healthcare – not the filming – triggers the regulatory requirement.

Below is a summary of when CQC registration may be required:

Scenario Likely CQC Implications
Filming a public event (e.g. protest, festival, sports) and providing on-site medics for crew only Out of scope, assuming basic first aid only
Filming a public event where medics treat audience or members of the public In scope or soon to be, especially under new rules removing the exemption for temporary event healthcare
Filming vulnerable people (e.g. in care homes, street outreach, or conflict zones) and providing any kind of treatment or triage Very likely in scope, particularly if healthcare goes beyond informal support
Documentary crew brings clinicians to perform outreach, screening or interventions (e.g. mobile units, medical aid) Almost certainly in scope, requires CQC registration or must be delivered by a registered provider

Immersive or Interactive Experiences

Examples: interactive theatre, escape rooms, live-action roleplay (LARP), immersive documentaries.

Risk: if participants are also receiving triage, treatment or medical oversight (e.g. heat exhaustion, anxiety interventions), this may be within scope, especially when the public is involved.

Medical Content and Reality TV

Examples: medical documentaries, shows with health interventions (e.g. weight loss, cosmetic surgery, therapy), reality TV with wellness checks.

Risk: often clearly in scope, especially if there’s clinical assessment, mental health screening, or medical decision-making. Even temporary or remote care could be regulated.

Residential Filming or Extended Production Bubbles

Examples: shows filmed over multiple days with contestants or contributors staying on location.

Risk: long-term welfare often includes medical support, physiotherapy, mental health triage etc. If this care exceeds basic first aid, it’s likely within scope.

External Resources

Set Medical Provision | International Advice

Specialist: Ben Teden

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Ben is a health and safety consultant with a background in front line ambulance operations as a Paramedic. With hands-on experience as a medic and COVID supervisor on a range of film and TV productions, he brings practical, production-focused insight to every project.

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Article last updated on May 29th, 2025

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