Victorian Current Acts

AMBULANCE SERVICES ACT 1986 - SECT 22I

    (1)     If a patient suffers a serious adverse patient safety event in the course of receiving services from an ambulance service, the ambulance service responsible for providing those services owes a duty of candour to the patient and must do the following unless the patient has opted out in accordance with subsection (2)—

        (a)     provide the patient with—

              (i)     a written account of the facts regarding the serious adverse patient safety event; and

              (ii)     an apology for the harm suffered by the patient; and

              (iii)     a description of the ambulance service's response to the event; and

              (iv)     the steps that the ambulance service has taken to prevent re‑occurrence of the event; and

              (v)     any prescribed information; and

        (b)     comply with any steps set out in the Victorian Duty of Candour Guidelines.

    (2)     A patient referred to in subsection (1) may choose not to receive information in accordance with subsection (1) by providing the ambulance service with a signed statement.

    (3)     A patient who has signed a statement in accordance with subsection (2) may later elect to receive information under subsection (1).

S. 22J inserted by No. 4/2022 s. 15.