RRV staffing

The current policy position around staffing RRVs as a routine operating model is defined in the Trusts scope of practice policy. Scope of practice is agreed at the Clinical Best Practice Group (CBPG) which decides what is the best practice approach when responding to our patients.

The scope of practice policy (April 2022) states that:

“Clinical staff where possible must have the option of delivering the full scope of clinical care or the option to transport a patient to hospital. Working on a rapid response vehicle (RRV) should therefore be limited to registered healthcare professionals as a routine operating model”.

However, staff at Level 4 (EMTs both inside and outside their newly qualified phase of practice) may staff an RRV where an individual exceptional and justifiable need arises, but this member of staff must not be utilised if they are within the first six months post-completion of their technician training. The practical implementation of the policy position is that EMTs should not be routinely be allocated to staff RRVs as a pre-booked approach, but if a dynamic change occurs during a shift that has started, an operational decision can be made. EMTs can work on RRVs to support other professionals such as working on mental health cars with mental health colleagues.

The scope of practice policy can be found in the policy library.

Published 22nd September 2023