Event Medical Regulations and CQC: What Event Organisers Need to Know

Do you run events with any level of crowd risk: overnight camping, energetic audiences, sporting competitions, or anything that goes beyond a local village fete?

If so, it’s time to pay attention. New rules are coming from late 2026 (date TBC), it will be your responsibility to make sure your medical provision is adequate for your event, and your provider is regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

All providers offering treatment for disease, disorder, or injury (TDDI) will now be subject to consistent regulatory oversight with the aim to enhance patient safety and care quality

And unlike hospitals, if your event medical provider doesn’t meet the new regulations and is CQC registered your event could be at risk.

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Where is all this coming from

These requirements aren’t just industry gossip; they’re set out in the Changes to regulations relating to the CQC published on the Gov UK website following the recommendations of the Manchester Area Inquiry (MAI).

(You can read the full details here: Changes to regulations relating to CQC (GOV.UK)).

Grab a cup of tea and read the full MAI here Manchester Arena Inquiry Reports

The bottom line: the government wants consistency, safety, and proper regulation. Which is fair enough. We have all watched the AstroWorld documentary on Netflix and there was a lot that should have been done differently.

Who are the CQC?

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is basically the quality control squad for health and social care in England. Their job? Make sure anyone delivering healthcare (even in a festival field) is meeting the legal standards for safety, staffing, and good practice.

In the past, event medical cover sometimes slipped under the radar. But with new regulations coming in, the CQC will be paying much closer attention. If your medical team is treating anything more serious than the odd blister or headache, they’ll need to be CQC registered.

The CQC doesn’t just show up with a clipboard and a checklist, they measure services against five key questions, look for evidence across six categories, and use two types of statements: “I statements” (from the patient’s perspective) and “quality statements” (what good looks like). It’s a lot to get your head around, I’ve definitely earned the t-shirt on this one. But don’t worry, I’ll break it all down in my next post, so you know exactly what to expect.

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Ten Top Tips for Event Medical Cover

1. Start with a risk assessment
   ‍ ‍How many people? What are the risks: alcohol, sports, weather, camping? This is your foundation for safe planning. Make sure to get advice on medical risks as part of this process.

2. Prepare a medical specification / Medical needs assessment
   Make sure your medical specification is tailored to your event, not copied and pasted from last year. Include medical numbers from previous years. Identify which tier your event falls into to help medical providers complete the medical needs assessment – giving you reliable information to compare providers.  The Purple Guide will help you with this

3. Choose your provider wisely
   The more information you provide on the risks and type of event, the better prepared medical providers will be to quote for your specific event.  Check that your provider is CQC registered and verify staff’s training credentials. Don’t forget to review their insurance, at a minimum, they should have public liability, medical indemnity, employer’s liability, and fleet insurance for their vehicles.

4. Event Medical Plan
   Your chosen medical provider will formalise what’s being provided, who’s responsible, and how escalation works. Finalise staffing numbers and skill mix, ensure clinical governance arrangements and contingency plans are in place.

5. Don’t leave it to the last minute
   CQC registration (and good providers) take time to secure. Plan early to avoid panic.

6. Document everything
   Keep records of risk assessments, plans, provider checks, contracts, and event data. It’s not glamorous, but it protects you.

7. Build relationships with your medical team.
   Meet before event day. Walk the site, talk through scenarios, and make sure you’re all on the same page.

8. Liaise with local authorities and emergency services.
   Keep SAG, NHS, and ambulance services informed of your plans

9. The Setup
   Make sure your medical provider has a proper space to treat patients with running water, good lighting, plenty of room, and easy access (and if you’re on a hill, provide blocks so the trolleys don’t roll away!). Plan clear access routes in and out. Whenever possible, keep medical, welfare, and mental health services close together for smoother support.

10. Prioritise welfare and mental health.
    Look after your staff, your crowd, and your medical team. Include welfare and mental health in your planning, especially for longer or high-pressure events.

This is a high-level list, but there’s a mountain of guidance, regulation, and checks behind every step. Do you really know if your medical staff are fully trained, or what qualifications you should be looking for? If not, please get in touch. I’m always happy to help as an independent advisor and can point you in the right direction to get you started!

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