Incident Management

Will Holmes à Court
Will Holmes à Court
Last updated 
What are incidents, what are serious incidents, and which incidents are reportable.

Overview

Introduction
This policy defines incidents, including serious incidents and those that are reportable to the applicable bodies: NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (NDISQSC), Aged Care Quality & Safety Commission (ACQSC), and Veterans Home Care (VHC). 

An incident is broadly defined as:
  • any event or circumstance that resulted, or could have resulted, in unintended and/or unnecessary harm to a person or loss or damage to property
  • a near miss which did not cause harm but had the potential to do so
  • a medication error involving a preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or harm to a client while being supported
  • any event which deviates from standard policy or procedure
  • anything illegal (e.g. assault, sexual misconduct, fraud)
Applies to
  • services provided to all clients
  • all HWH representatives, including key managers and staff

Policy

HWH Commitment
As part of our incident management responsibilities:
  • We are committed to ensuring that people's rights are upheld and supported.
  • We aim to provide a high standard of duty of care and ensure the safety and well-being of each client using our services, our employees and community members.
  • We will foster a culture of continuous improvement with a proactive approach to preventing incidents.
  • If an incident occurs, we will promptly and appropriately respond equitably, objectively, and fairly.
  • We will record all incidents, report (if required) and investigate (if required)
  • We will maintain procedural fairness by allowing those affected to tell their side of the story and comment on any adverse views.
  • We will maintain an incident management system to aid in recording, managing and resolving incidents.
  • The incident management policy and the processes are accessible to workers via the HWH Client Management System web app (BaseCamp>Care-Team>Resources)
  • The incident management policy and the processes are provided to clients and stakeholders via email, online (via public link into Basecamp) or hard copy during onboarding and at any time.
HWH's Responsibilities
When responding to an incident, it is HWH's responsibility to:
  • immediately respond to an incident to ensure the safety and well-being of clients and others at risk
  • report to the police (if appropriate)
  • notifying the relevant bodies (NDISQSC, ACQSC, VHC) of reportable incidents within the appropriate timeframe
  • preserve evidence of the incident
  • notify relevant next of kin, family or guardian (as appropriate)
  • plan and undertake actions to provide ongoing support to those affected by the incident eg contact relevant support services, e.g. sexual assault support services (if appropriate)
  • document key actions in the HWH Incident Management System (IMS)
NDIS - Reportable Incidents
Incidents that must be reported to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission include any incident that involves an NDIS-funded client (participant) :
  • the death of the client
  • the severe injury to the client
  • abuse or neglect of the client 
  • unlawful sexual or physical contact with, or assault of, the client
  • sexual misconduct committed against, or in the presence of, the client, including grooming for sexual activity
  • unauthorised use of restrictive practices with the client
ACQSC - Reportable Incidents (SIRS)
The Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) aims to identify and prevent abuse and neglect among people receiving aged care in residential or home settings. HWH provide home services that can include:
  • Home Care Packages
  • Commonwealth Home Support Programme
  • flexible care delivered in a home or community setting, including Multi-Purpose Services, Short Term Restorative Care and Transition Care Program
  • National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program.
Reporting timeframes are determined as Priority 1 (24hrs) or Priority 2 (30 days). There are 8 types of reportable incidents under the SIRS:
  1. Unreasonable use of force: hitting, pushing, shoving, rough handling [Priority 2]
  2. Unlawful sexual contact or inappropriate sexual conduct: sexual threats, stalking, sexual activities without consent [Priority 1]
  3. Neglect: withholding personal care, medication, untreated wounds, insufficient assistance during meals [Priority 2]
  4. Psychological or emotional abuse: yelling, name-calling, ignoring, making threatening gestures, refusing access to care or services as a means of punishment [Priority 2]
  5. Unexpected death: the provider didn't take reasonable steps to prevent a death, a death results directly from something the provider did or didn’t do [Priority 2]
  6. Stealing or financial coercion by a staff member: coercing someone to change their will, stealing valuables [Priority 2]
  7. Inappropriate use of restrictive practices includes using a restrictive practice without prior consent, using a restrictive practice in a non-emergency situation, and issuing a drug to influence someone’s behaviour [Priority 2]
  8. Unexplained absence from care: Someone is absent from the service without explanation, and there are reasonable grounds to report the absence to the police [Priority 1]
Resource:  SIRS Decision Making Support Tool 

VHC - Notifiable Incidents
Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (OHS Act), HWH must notify WorkSafe immediately after becoming aware of a notifiable incident. 
  • any serious incident in the workplace
  • as soon as practicable after we become aware of the incident (no later than 7 days)
Reportable incidents
  • a serious incident such as the death of a person
  • a person needing medical treatment within 48 hours of being exposed to a substance
  • a person needing immediate treatment as an in-patient in a hospital
  • a person needing immediate medical treatment for one of the following injuries: amputation, serious head injury or serious eye injury, removal of skin (example: de-gloving, scalping), electric shock, spinal injury, loss of a bodily function, serious lacerations (example: requiring stitching or other medical treatment) 
    • Medical treatment means treatment by a person registered under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law to practice medical, nursing or midwifery (doctor, nurse, midwife, etc.).
Other reportable incidents
We must also report the following incidents if they expose a person to a serious risk to their health or safety emanating from an immediate or imminent exposure to:
  • an uncontrolled escape, spillage or leakage of any substance, including dangerous goods within the meaning of the Dangerous Goods Act 1985 or
  • an implosion, explosion fire, or
  • electric shock
Other Reportable Incidents
Some incidents may also require reporting to other agencies, for example:
  • a data breach or breach of personal information (OAIC)
  • injury or death of a worker while on duty (local state or territory WHS authority).
  • crimes such as assault, theft and fraud must be reported to the Police.
Record Keeping
Records of incidents will be kept for a minimum of 7 years from the date of the incident.

Responsibilities of HWH Managers
HWH managers are to:
  • ensure employees have the necessary skills to manage incidents
  • record incidents
  • manage escalated incidents and serious incidents
  • report relevant serious incidents to the applicable external body
  • respond to any media enquiries
  • investigate incidents or arrange an external investigator to investigate
  • review incidents to identify workforce capability, Quality Improvement opportunities
Responsibilities of Support Workers
Worker responsibilities include:
  • resolving incidents if within the scope of their role
  • recording incidents accurately 
  • recording incidents promptly
  • escalating incidents they can’t resolve to key managers
  • escalating serious incidents to key managers
References: