GoodSAM Code of Conduct

1. Your safety is the priority, and you should act sensibly to maintain your health and safety. If you accept an alert, do not take any action or enter a situation where your or another person’s safety is at risk. Phone Triple-Zero (000) and wait for assistance if required. Try to ensure appropriate clothing and footwear for the scene.
2. If more information becomes available and NSW Ambulance determines that a volunteer response is inappropriate, you will receive a cancellation message via the app. If you receive a cancellation message, you should stop responding straight away. You may then receive a second alert if the address of the emergency has changed – you can accept and respond to the new alert.
3. You should only accept an alert if you are fully alert. Do not respond if you have consumed alcohol, drugs, or any medications that impair alertness.
4. You should ensure your ability to act as a responder is not impaired by any medical, physical or mental health conditions. It is recommended that you discuss any concerns (including vaccination status) with your relevant healthcare professional before registering as a responder. NSW Ambulance and GoodSAM are not responsible for any illness or injury related to your involvement in the program.
5. You should travel to the scene on foot. Only in rural locations should driving be considered, and if driving, you should obey all normal road rules. Specifically, hazard or warning devices are not allowed while responding, and there are no exemptions to the NSW road rules or other applicable legislation due to responding to a GoodSAM alert.
6. You are responsible for understanding your training, knowledge and skills, and should not provide care beyond the scope of your first-aid training. In most cases, basic life support and use of an Automated External Defibrillator will be all that is required. Please see below for advice to AHPRA registered Healthcare Professionals.
7. Responsibility for patient care passes to NSW Ambulance paramedics or other emergency services as soon as they arrive. You may offer to continue to assist if required under the leadership and supervision of paramedics.
8. Participation in the GoodSAM program is voluntary. You must not seek payment, gifts, benefits or hospitality in relation to your involvement in the program. This is an important part of your protection under the Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW).
9. You must always preserve the privacy and confidentiality of the patients you help. You mustn’t disclose information about a patient to other people, the media, or on social media. Ambulance control-room staff may request live access to your phone's camera to assist your resuscitation, but otherwise, recording video, audio or photos on your device is not allowed. This is consistent with the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW); if you breach this rule, you will be automatically removed from the GoodSAM program.
10. Responders are members of the public and are not representatives of NSW Ambulance. You are responsible for your actions, and NSW Ambulance and GoodSAM are not responsible for any theft, loss or damage of property sustained in the course of a response. If you have borrowed a Public Access Defibrillator as part of a response, you should return it afterwards.

Ahpra-registered health professionals respond as volunteers and are only expected to provide chest compressions and use an AED. However, should they choose to provide care beyond this level, they should exercise their professional judgement with specific consideration of the following:

• Their level of training, familiarity and competence in any procedure, assessment or skill.
• The access, availability, familiarity, maintenance, capability or absence of appropriate equipment, trained personnel, medications and support necessary to safely provide any procedure, assessment or skill.
• The possession of adequate professional indemnity or other insurance related to the practice of any procedure, assessment or skill within their environment.
• The relative benefits and risks to the patient in comparison to awaiting the routine provision of care by emergency services.

Ahpra-registered health professionals should note that the requirements of professional conduct, including related codes and guidelines, apply and that breaches or concerns may be raised by NSW Ambulance or a concerned party.

Volunteer responders who are also NSW Ambulance employees should follow all standard NSW Ambulance policies and work practices. If you are alerted while on duty, you should decline the alert, and await tasking by the Control Centre as there may be a closer NSW Ambulance resource.

You may provide interventions within your scope of practice if your skill level exceeds that of the attending paramedics. Where a paramedic of equivalent skill attends, clinical primacy sits with the tasked paramedic. You should use appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when it becomes available

Information you provide to GoodSAM, including personal information provided to NSW Ambulance will be stored and accessed in accordance with our privacy policy available at:

https://www.ambulance.nsw.gov.au/about-us/access-to-information/privacy

NSW Ambulance may contact you about your involvement in the program, including any responses you participate in.

NSW Ambulance may provide information about you and your involvement in the program to the organisation you are affiliated with in the GoodSAM database. If you are no longer affiliated with this organisation, please inform us by either:

• updating your GoodSAM profile with a new affiliating organisation (or by choosing ‘GoodSAM’ if no other affiliating organisation is listed)
• Contacting us using the details provided below.