In these regulations –

Act means the Ambulance Service Act 1982 ;

acute , in relation to a person's medical needs, means that –

(a) the medical needs, or the symptoms of those medical needs, are a result of a severe injury, an episode of illness, or a medical condition; and

(b) the medical needs, or symptoms, require active but short-term medical treatment or care;

approved means approved by the Secretary;

carer escort , in relation to a patient, means a family member, friend or carer of the patient who is willing to travel with the patient while the patient is being provided with non-emergency patient transport services;

clinical escort means a person who –

(a) is registered under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (Tasmania) as one or more of the following:

(i) enrolled nurse;

(ii) registered nurse;

(iii) paramedic;

(iv) medical practitioner; and

(b) is able to provide supervision, clinical observation and clinical care under his or her registration; and

(c) is engaged by a licensee to provide non-emergency patient transport services in respect of the NEPT Service of the licensee;

clinical observation means visually observing a patient, and any clinical equipment attached to the patient, to monitor any changes to the condition of the patient;

complaint has the same meaning as in the Health Complaints Act 1995 ;

crew member , in relation to an NEPT Service, means one of the following persons:

(a) a clinical escort of the NEPT Service;

(b) a patient-transport officer of the NEPT Service;

critical incident means –

(a) the death of a patient; or

(b) an injury, or other form of harm, to a patient that results in the patient requiring additional supervision or medical treatment; or

(c) an event that results in a foreseeable risk of –

(i) the death of a patient; or

(ii) an injury, or other form of harm, to a patient that results in the patient requiring additional supervision or medical treatment;

health facility means business premises where a registered health practitioner provides health care or treatment to a person for consideration, whether monetary or otherwise;

infection control guidelines means the Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare published in 2010 by the National Health and Medical Research Council, as amended or substituted from time to time;

infection prevention and control management plan , of an NEPT Service, means the management plan established in respect of the Service under regulation 16 (1);

licensee , of an NEPT Service, means the person who holds the relevant NEPT licence for the Service;

low-acuity patient  – see regulation 7 ;

medium-acuity patient  – see regulation 8 ;

neonate means a child who has not attained the age of 29 days;

NEPT vehicle means a vehicle being used to provide non-emergency patient transport services;

paediatric patient means a patient who has attained the age of 2 years but has not attained the age of 14 years;

patient  means a person who is eligible to be provided with non-emergency patient transport services under regulation 5(1) ;

patient assessment record means the written record of the assessment of a person under regulation 5(1)(c)  –

(a) made under regulation 6(4) ; and

(b) if such a record is made by a person other than a clinical escort of an NEPT Service, endorsed as required under regulation 6(6) ;

patient care record means the record required to be kept in respect of a patient under regulation 30 ;

patient representative , of a patient, includes –

(a) a carer escort of the patient; and

(b) a registered health practitioner nominated by the patient; and

(c) a family member, or carer, of the patient nominated by the patient;

patient-transport officer means a person who –

(a) is engaged by a licensee to provide non-emergency patient transport services in respect of the NEPT Service of the licensee; and

(b) is not a clinical escort; and

(c) holds –

(i) a certificate III in non-emergency patient transport issued under the Australian Qualifications Framework; or

(ii) such other qualification, training or experience determined by the Secretary to be equivalent to that certificate;

portable equipment means equipment that is –

(a) used to provide non-emergency patient transport services; and

(b) capable of being transported within an NEPT vehicle;

registered health practitioner means a person who is registered under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (Tasmania) to practise a health profession within the meaning of that Act;

relevant NEPT licence , in relation to an NEPT Service, an NEPT vehicle or non-emergency patient transport services, means the NEPT licence under which –

(a) a licensee is operating the Service; or

(b) the NEPT vehicle is being operated to provide non-emergency patient transport services; or

(c) the non-emergency patient transport services are being provided;

reportable incident means any of the following incidents that occur while a patient is receiving non-emergency patient transport services:

(a) a critical incident;

(b) a traffic accident, or other traffic incident, involving the NEPT vehicle being used to provide those services;

(c) the transfer of the patient to the Ambulance Service, or the provision of assistance to the patient under the direction of the Ambulance Service, in accordance with regulation 13 ;

(d) the use of warning lights by the NEPT vehicle providing those services to the patient;

(e) any other incident or event specified as a reportable incident in the relevant NEPT licence;

time-critical , in relation to a person's medical needs, means that those medical needs –

(a) require immediate medical attention; and

(b) require an emergency response.