CQC registration for event medical providers: the 2027 guide

Governance · October 2026 · 14 minute read

Yes, most event medical providers now need to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). If your service treats people at events in England using paramedics, nurses, doctors or other listed healthcare professionals, it must be registered for the regulated activity treatment of disease, disorder or injury (TDDI).

• Applications opened: 7 September 2026.
• Apply by 1 March 2027: complete applications sent by then should be decided before the rules take effect.
• From 6 December 2027: providing that care at an event without registration is an offence.

Genuine first aid stays outside regulation. The hard part is knowing which side of that line your service is on. This guide covers who must register, how CQC now defines first aid, and how to get a strong application in on time.

What has changed for event healthcare

For years, two exceptions in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 kept most event healthcare out of CQC's reach:

• treatment at a sports ground or gym for people taking part in or watching sport;
• treatment provided under temporary arrangements at sporting and cultural events.

The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/495) removed both. There is now no exception based on location. Treatment at a festival, stadium, concert, nightclub, race or park event is judged exactly as it would be in a clinic: if it meets the definition of TDDI, whoever carries it on must be registered.

The change follows the Manchester Arena Inquiry, which recommended that the standard of healthcare at events should be set in law and enforced by a regulator. CQC has also said that its own work has found serious harm caused by some independent medical care at events.

Key dates: when must event medical providers register?

These dates are set in law, so CQC can't move them. You can keep working at events while your application is assessed. The risk is a late or incomplete application that isn't decided by December, leaving you unable to work lawfully at events from 6 December 2027.

Do event medical providers need to register with CQC?

You need to register if you provide treatment for a disease, disorder or injury that is:

• carried out by, or under the supervision of, a listed healthcare professional; or
• carried out by a team that includes a listed healthcare professional supervising treatment in their professional capacity.

The listed healthcare professionals are:

• doctors;
• nurses and midwives;
• paramedics;
• operating department practitioners;
• dentists, dental hygienists, dental therapists, dental nurses, dental technicians and orthodontic therapists;
• radiographers, biomedical scientists and clinical scientists.

The list has not changed. Emergency care assistants, ambulance care assistants and community first responders are not on it. Nor are physiotherapists or pharmacists.

Who registers: CQC registers the provider, the legal entity responsible for the service. That can be a company, a charity, a partnership or an individual, but never the event itself. If several providers work at one event, each one must decide for itself whether it needs to register.

What this means in practice: the change is likely to affect:

• event medical companies;
• independent ambulance services that cover events;
• festival and concert medical teams;
• motorsport, equestrian and endurance event medical teams;
• sports clubs and governing bodies that organise their own medical cover;
• first aid companies that deploy paramedics, nurses or doctors.

Is event first aid regulated by CQC?

No, if it is genuinely first aid. Providing only first aid is not a regulated activity. But CQC has tightened how it describes first aid, and many services that call themselves "first aid" will fall within TDDI.

CQC describes first aid as:

• the initial response to a sudden illness, injury, condition or flare-up of an existing condition;
• intended to preserve life, prevent deterioration, provide comfort and reassurance, and support the person until further help arrives;
• limited to interventions generally recognised as first aid procedures.

First aid can include:

• simple, non-invasive observations;
• simple assessments to decide whether someone needs emergency help or onward referral;
• basic observations that don't need clinical interpretation;
• CPR and the use of a defibrillator.

It is not first aid, and needs registration, if your service includes:

• a clinical diagnosis;
• treatment that needs a listed professional's judgement;
• interpreting clinical investigations, including ECGs;
• prescribing prescription-only medicines;
• using patient group directions or patient specific directions;
• ongoing treatment or care.

The test that decides most cases: if a paramedic, nurse or doctor you have contracted or deployed uses the skills, knowledge or judgement that come from their professional registration, CQC treats it as TDDI. The name of your company or your contract makes no difference.

A clinician who helps unexpectedly as a bystander, unpaid and in good faith, is a Good Samaritan and is not in scope. That exception never covers a clinician you have booked onto an event.

First aid or TDDI? Common event scenarios

These examples come from CQC's guidance and the consultation it ran on it.

Multi-provider events: where several providers work together at one large event, they don't all have to register just because they share a team. But if one provider's own team includes a listed professional who delivers or supervises treatment, that provider must be registered.

If your case isn't covered: CQC can't publish an example for every arrangement. Email its events team at enquiries@cqc.org.uk before you decide you are out of scope.

Transport from events: do you need a second regulated activity?

Transport within the boundaries of an event site or venue is still exempt. If you take people beyond the boundary, for example to hospital, you also need to register for transport services, triage and medical advice provided remotely.

Event boundaries aren't always clear. Marathons, cycle races, parades and events on open land are the usual examples. CQC expects you to know where the boundary of each event lies, and to be able to show it if asked. If you are unsure, register for transport too, or ask CQC before the season starts.

We are already registered with CQC. What do we need to do?

If you already hold TDDI registration, for example as an independent ambulance service, you don't need to apply again. You do need to:

• check that your registration covers your event work, including your locations and your regulated activities (add transport if you move people off site);
• update your statement of purpose to describe your event services;
• make sure your governance, staffing and audit cover event work as fully as your other services, because CQC will assess it from December 2027.

How to register an event medical service with CQC

1. Confirm your scope. Map every service you provide against the first aid description and the TDDI criteria, event by event. Write the decision down, with your reasons. It is your evidence if your scope is questioned later.

2. Set up the provider. Decide which legal entity carries on the regulated activity. An organisation must name a nominated individual: a director or senior person responsible for supervising how the regulated activity is managed.

3. Appoint a registered manager. Most providers need a registered manager who manages the regulated activity day to day. They apply to CQC alongside the provider, with:

• an enhanced DBS check;
• their employment history;
• evidence of qualifications;
• references.

They are usually interviewed. Our guide to preparing for your CQC registration interview covers what to expect.

4. Write your statement of purpose. Set out:

• your regulated activities and service types;
• the people you serve;
• the events and areas you cover;
• your registered location, usually your operating base.

It is a legal document, so it must describe how your service really works.

5. Build the service before you apply. CQC registers a service that is ready to be safe and well led. Have your policies, governance, staffing model, equipment and medicines arrangements in place first (see the next section).

6. Apply to the right address. Use CQC's provider registration forms, and email event applications to HSCA_Events@cqc.org.uk. CQC asks providers not to use any other address, as that delays applications.

7. Answer questions quickly. CQC may ask for more information and will usually interview the registered manager and the nominated individual. Make sure your application, statement of purpose, policies and interview answers all describe the same service. Inconsistencies are the most common cause of delay.

For the general process, see our step by step guide on how to register with CQC.

What CQC will look for in an event medical service

CQC says it will assess event healthcare in broadly the same way as other pre-hospital services, such as independent ambulance and doctor-led services. It will publish any event-specific arrangements before 6 December 2027.

Build your evidence around the five key questions (safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led) and the fundamental standards in the regulations. For an event service, that means:

• Safe care and treatment (Regulation 12):
  • clinical guidelines your clinicians actually follow;
  • a defined scope of practice for every role;
  • deterioration and escalation plans;
  • safe handover to NHS ambulance services and emergency departments;
  • equipment that is checked and maintained;
  • infection prevention on temporary sites.
• Medicines:
  • a clear, lawful route for every medicine your clinicians supply or give;
  • secure storage and transport;
  • stock records and audit.
• Safeguarding (Regulation 13):
  • procedures that work at events, covering children, vulnerable adults, drug and alcohol related harm, and sexual violence;
  • a named safeguarding lead;
  • links to the local authority for each event area.
• Staffing and recruitment (Regulations 18 and 19):
  • enough suitably qualified, competent and experienced staff for each event;
  • registration checks with the HCPC, NMC or GMC;
  • DBS checks, references and right to work checks;
  • competency sign-off for each skill a clinician uses;
  • the same standard for freelance and bank clinicians as for employees.

  See safer recruitment in care.

• Good governance (Regulation 17):
  • clinical records you can retrieve after the event;
  • incident reporting and learning;
  • clinical audit;
  • clinical supervision;
  • complaints;
  • information governance for paper or electronic patient report forms;
  • a way for leaders to see all of this across every event.
• Duty of candour (Regulation 20): a process for telling people when something goes wrong. See our guide to the duty of candour.
• Premises and equipment (Regulation 15): your base, your vehicles and your treatment areas on site.

CQC won't tell you what level of cover an event needs. That remains for event organisers and providers to set through their risk assessments. The Department of Health and Social Care is developing an Events Healthcare Standard for this. Until it is published, keep a written risk assessment for every event, showing how you decided the level of cover.

Controlled drugs: start early

If your service holds stock of controlled drugs, you may also need a Home Office controlled drugs licence. This is separate from CQC registration. CQC's guidance says a licence can take at least six months, including a compliance visit, so apply alongside your CQC application, not after it.

How long does it take, and what does it cost?

CQC has committed to deciding complete applications received by 1 March 2027 on or before 6 December 2027. It doesn't publish a fixed decision time, and an incomplete or inconsistent application takes longer.

Once registered, you pay an annual fee under CQC's fees scheme. CQC has said it will keep talking to the sector about support with fees.

Mistakes we expect event providers to make

• Assuming "first aid" covers you. If your team includes paramedics, nurses or doctors who use their clinical skills, you are very likely in scope.
• Waiting for the season to end. Applications rushed together in February are more likely to need changes and miss the 1 March 2027 date.
• Downgrading cover to avoid registration. Removing clinicians to stay out of scope changes the risk at every event, and organisers will notice.
• Template policies. CQC looks for policies that match your interview answers and what really happens on site, not documents written for a care home.
• Forgetting freelance clinicians. If you deploy them, their checks, scope and supervision are your responsibility.
• No evidence trail. From December 2027 you will need to show incidents, audits, competency sign-off and learning, not just describe them.

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

CQC regulates health and social care in England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own regulators and rules. If you work across the UK, check the requirements wherever you deliver care.

Frequently asked questions

Do event medical providers need CQC registration?

Yes, if they provide treatment by or under the supervision of a paramedic, nurse, doctor or other listed healthcare professional. Applications opened on 7 September 2026, and CQC enforces from 6 December 2027.

What is the deadline for event healthcare providers to register with CQC?

Apply by 1 March 2027 to be confident of a decision before 6 December 2027, when providing TDDI at an event without registration becomes an offence.

Is first aid at events regulated by CQC?

Not if it is genuinely first aid. It becomes regulated when a listed healthcare professional uses their professional skills or judgement, for example to diagnose, interpret an ECG, give prescription-only medicines or use a patient group direction.

Do volunteer event medics need to register?

There is no exemption for volunteers. Either the volunteer registers as an individual, or the organisation that engages them registers.

Do we register every event as a location?

Usually not. A provider working from one base normally registers that base as its location.

Does CQC register the event or the organiser?

No. CQC registers the healthcare provider that carries on the regulated activity.

How Eviqa can help

Eviqa Assure is clinical governance software that gives event medical services one place for:

• incidents and learning;
• audits;
• competency sign-off;
• policies;
• actions.

That way the evidence CQC asks for is already there when you apply, and again when you are assessed.

Assure Advisory supports the registration itself:

• a scope review of your services against the first aid and TDDI line;
• the provider set-up and statement of purpose;
• policies written for event work;
• a readiness review before you apply;
• practice interviews for your registered manager and nominated individual.

Assure Advisory is paramedic-led, so we understand pre-hospital care and how CQC assesses it.

Book a free 30-minute call. We'll tell you whether you are in scope and what to have in place before 1 March 2027.

Sources

• CQC: Supporting registration guidance for delivering treatment of disease, disorder or injury at events (opens in a new tab)
• CQC: Changes to the regulations (events) (opens in a new tab)
• CQC: Who needs to register (events) (opens in a new tab)
• CQC: Relevant exceptions to registering, including first aid (events) (opens in a new tab)
• CQC: When you may need to register (events) (opens in a new tab)
• CQC: How to apply to register (events) (opens in a new tab)
• CQC: Examples of queries about registering for TDDI at events (opens in a new tab)
• CQC: Assessment of event healthcare providers (opens in a new tab)
• CQC: Response to the consultation on registering for TDDI at sporting and cultural events (opens in a new tab)
• CQC: Registration applications now open for event healthcare providers (24 September 2026) (opens in a new tab)
• CQC: Scope of registration, treatment of disease, disorder or injury (opens in a new tab)
• CQC: Home Office controlled drugs licences (opens in a new tab)
• The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/495) (opens in a new tab)

CQC registration support for event healthcare providers