| Paramedic Services | Effective Date: April 30, 2019 |
| Topic: Stakeholder Relations |
Replaces: May 31, 2013 |
| Subject: Escort Directive | Policy No. G.7.2. |
This directive is in place to establish processes to allow for, and to ensure safe and uneventful integration of medical and nonmedical escorts throughout the call.
Patient escorts may be medically responsible for the ongoing care of the patient during transport or may be present to offer support to the patient during transportation. While the rationale for the escort presence differs, the directive clearly captures the rules associated with placement of escorts on Manitoulin-Sudbury DSB vehicles.
Medical escorts are assigned by sending health care facilities to maintain medical responsibility while away form the sending facility. Where there is no confirmed receiving bed, a medical escort will be required and will be responsible for the overall patient care. The assignment of a medical escort will be done in a manner that matches scope of practice with patient acuity. Paramedic will assist in ongoing care during transportation, within their scope of practice, and in accordance with the ALS/BLS PCS.
Repatriation of medical escorts can not be guaranteed. In the event of any additional call assignments through CACC, those responses will take place. As such, it is the responsibility of the sending facility and escort to ensure ability to self-repatriate. Paramedic will assist in attending to the patient(s).
If the scope of practice for any escort is in question, Paramedics shall confirm that scope prior to transport initiation. Medical escorts shall be positioned in the patient compartment of the transporting vehicle.
While the desire to have a nonmedical escort accompany a patient will not be reasonably denied, the authority to permit any nonmedical escort on a Manitoulin-Sudbury DSB Paramedic Service ambulance will reside with the Paramedics. Any conflict in such allowance will be managed by the Paramedic Superintendent.
The number of passengers shall not exceed the number of available seating positions with seatbelts, and nonmedical escorts will be placed in the front of the vehicle at the discretion of the Paramedic. No escort will be allowed in a Manitoulin-Sudbury DSB vehicle where that escort is believed to be impaired in any way.
Denied engagement of a nonmedical escort will be documented in an incident report following the call.
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Emergency Health Services Branch, Basic Life Support Patient Care Standards, Queens Printer for Ontario
Ministry of Health, Emergency Services Branch, Documentation Standards, The Crown in Right of the Province of Ontario