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General conditions/Eligibility criteria: Special client groups
Non-chargeable clients
The following individuals will not be charged:
- Children under Custody to Secretary Orders; and
- Children under Guardianship to Secretary Orders
- Prisoners - Fees for prisoners are charged to the responsible prisoner health service
- People transported under the Severe Substance Dependence Treatment Act 2010
- Asylum seekers living in Victoria, who have no capacity to pay have free access to ambulance services for emergency transport only. Cases need to be approved / verified by one of the three nominated agencies: the Hotham Mission-Asylum Seeker Project (ph:9326 8343) the Red Cross (ph 8327 7883) or the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ph 9326 6066).
Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) Clients
An eligible DVA client includes holders of a Repatriation Health Card – For All Conditions (Gold Card) and some holders of a Repatriation Health Card – For Specific Conditions (White Card). DVA purchases a Group Entitlement for ambulance services used by Repatriation White / Gold Card holders. This entitlement covers all emergency and medically necessary non-emergency ambulance services in Victoria, and interstate transports for non-pensioners.
People in police custody
Victoria Police will be invoiced for ambulance attendance or transport to hospital of persons in police custody when:
- The injury was a consequence of the person’s arrest; or
- The injury was sustained in police custody
Victoria Police will not be invoiced for ambulance attendance as the result of:
- A suspect’s/prisoner’s general health eg. asthma, heart problems, drug withdrawal
- Any pre-existing medical condition, including drug withdrawal, or any concerns raised while in custody that require ambulance attendance or transport to hospital
- The person is being transported under Section 10 of the Mental Health Act and also needs concurrent medical attention.
Patients under the Mental Health Act
Patients recommended for involuntary admission under Section 9 of the Mental Health Act 1986 will not be charged. Tables 1, 2 and 5 outline the circumstances where this applies.
The following definitions are provided to assist in interpreting the mental health content of the tables:
Voluntary mental health patients people, receiving mental health treatment on a voluntary basis.
Involuntary mental health patients people, receiving mental health treatment involuntarily under the Mental Health Act. Includes involuntary, security and forensic patients.
Mental Health Services Conducting Assessments on Hospital Premises
Community mental health services may, on occasion, arrange to see a patient from the community at a hospital for the purposes of making an assessment. This is intended to cover situations where for health and safety or other clinical reasons, community mental health clinicians decide to assess at a local hospital Emergency Department (ED) rather than a community location. The ED is then considered a community place. In these cases, where the patient arrives at the hospital by arrangement with the mental health service, responsibility for fees is as per the Table 3 (Transport from Community). If the patient is subsequently recommended for involuntary admission and requires transport to a public mental health inpatient facility, the cost for the transport is borne by Ambulance Victoria.
This does not apply where:
- A patient presents without consultation/arrangement with a mental health clinician at a hospital receiving non-admitted emergency patient funding;
- A patient is treated or triaged by ED staff at a hospital receiving non-admitted emergency patient funding; or
- The patient is referred to the mental health service by ED staff at a hospital receiving non-admitted emergency patient funding.
In these cases, the hospital is responsible for any further transport. Ambulance Victoria will confirm the status and circumstances of the patient with the treating officer from the Area Mental Health Service in cases where hospitals are claiming exemption from charges. Where not confirmed, the transport will be charged as an inter hospital transfer.
For the details concerning ambulance transports from the community refer to Table 3.
Area Mental Health Service Responsibility For Fees
In cases where fees are the responsibility of the patient’s Area Mental Health Service, transferring agencies should ensure that the Area Mental Health Service is correctly identified in communication with the ambulance service. Failure to do so will result in charges remaining the responsibility of the Service initiating the transfer.
Transport Under Section 10 Of The Mental Health Act
The responsibility to transport a person detained under Section 10 of the Mental Health Act to hospital for a psychiatric assessment generally lies with the Police. In the event that the detained person also needs concurrent medical attention, Ambulance Victoria may provide the transport, accompanied by Police. In this circumstance, Ambulance Victoria is responsible for the cost of transport to the hospital. If the psychiatric assessment results in the patient being recommended for Involuntary Treatment under section 9 of the Mental Health Act, then the subsequent transport of that patient to a Public Mental Health Inpatient Facility is also the responsibility of Ambulance Victoria.
