New regulations will bring more event and production medical provision within scope of CQC oversight.
Changes arising from the Manchester Arena Inquiry are now moving forward. The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 will remove the current exemption for some healthcare activities at sporting and cultural events.
We highlighted these proposals previously, but we now have an expected implementation date.
The draft regulations have been debated in the House of Lords and while concerns were raised about how the changes will work in practice (particularly for smaller events, grassroots sport, volunteer medics and the capacity of the CQC to process new registrations) there is broad cross-party support for strengthening oversight of event healthcare.
Further consultation and sector engagement is expected, but there are currently no indications that the regulations will be blocked, delayed or withdrawn.
Importantly, first aid remains out of scope, but the boundary between first aid and regulated healthcare activities is narrow, and frequently misunderstood.
Key Date: 6th December 2027
From this point, healthcare provision at events that goes beyond basic first aid is much more likely to fall within CQC regulation. In practice, this means productions and events will need to ensure they are working with CQC-registered providers where regulated activities are being delivered.
We’ve updated our guidance and – because this is not always straightforward – we’ve built a simple assessment tool to help you determine whether your production or event is likely to fall within scope.
8
Article last updated on Apr 20th, 2026
