As many people are aware, Section 19 is looming on the horizon, for its introduction into the Road Safety Act (2006), which will replace the current Section 87 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act (1984). This will also be supported by the introduction of the new Road Traffic (Training Courses for Driving Vehicles at High Speed) Regulation 2020, which changes the way that emergency response courses can be delivered.

This legislation has been talked about for many years (since 2006), but is now being put to Parliament in Oct 2022 for introduction. Without doubt this will have a significant impact within the industry, and both organisations and individuals will need to be prepared and ready to maintain operations unaffected.

So, how will this impact me or my organisation?

Going forward, only designated courses which have been formally approved by a Chief Executive of an Emergency NHS Trust, will be permitted to drive an ambulance vehicle under emergency conditions to a 999 response. The current qualifications to be accepted are the FutureQuals L3CERAD Qualification, BTEC Level 3 Emergency Response Driving, IHCD D1/D2 Qualifications and any Internal NHS Ambulance Trust Qualification prior to any accredited courses being available.

In addition to this, all personnel that holds a recognised qualification (as indicated above), will now need to be formally assessed every 5-years regarding their practical application and theoretical knowledge, to demonstrate that they are still current and competent for role. This is designed to raise the industry standards and to promote and maintain professionalism and safety for all.