Critical Incidents and Incident Management

What is a Critical Incident and Incident Management System? 

In its most fundamental form, it is the implementation and review of a policy, procedure, form, plan and register.

 

Types of Incident & Critical Incidents?

 

Non-Reportable

An event or incident that has occurred to a client, employee, contractor, or visitor where the employer is not required to legally report to the authorities within mandatory timeframes.

 

Reportable

An event or incident that has occurred to a client, employee, contractor, or visitor where the employer is legally required to report to the authorities within mandatory timeframes. 

 

What is an Incident?

An unplanned event where:

  •  Incidents that have, or could have, caused harm to a person with a disability receiving supports or services; and
  • Acts by a person with disability that happen in connection with the provision of supports or services and that have caused serious harm, or a risk of serious harm, to another person; and

  • Reportable incidents alleged to have occurred in connection with the provision of supports or services.

     

What is a Critical Incident?

For an incident to be reportable to the Ndis Commission, a specific act or event needs to have happened (or be alleged to have happened) in connection with the provision of supports or services. This includes:

  • The death of a person with disability or staff member
  • Serious injury of a person with disability or staff member
  • Abuse or neglect of a person with disability or staff member
  • Unlawful sexual or physical contact with, or assault of, a person with a disability or staff member
  • Sexual misconduct, committed against, or in the presence of, a person with a disability, including grooming of the person with a disability for sexual activity.
  • Use of a restrictive practice concerning a person with disability where the use is not in accordance with an authorisation (however described) of a state or territory in relation to the person, or if it is used according to that authorisation but not in accordance with a behaviour support plan for the person with disability.

 

Reportable Incident Timeframes – To the Ndis Commission & Other Authorities

A manager or delegate is responsible for notifying and reporting within these timeframes to the relevant party.

 

A person with a disability 

  • Death of a person with a disability – Verbal & written notification within 24 hours to the Ndis Commission
  • Serious injury of a person with a disability – Verbal & written notification within 24 hours
  • Abuse or neglect of a person with a disability – Verbal & written notification within 24 hours
  • Unlawful sexual or physical contact with, or assault of, a person with a disability – Verbal & written notification within 24 hours
  • Sexual misconduct committed against, or in the presence of, a person with a disability, including grooming of the person for sexual activity – Verbal & written notification within 24 hours

  • Use of restrictive practice in relation to a person with a disability if the use is not in accordance with a required state or territory authorisation and/or not in accordance with a behaviour support plan – Verbal & written notification within five (5) business days. 

     

A staff member

  • The death of a person - Verbal & written notification within 48 hours
  • A serious injury or illness - Verbal & written notification within 48 hours
  • A dangerous incident that exposes any person to a serious risk, even if no one is injured - Verbal & written notification within 48 hours

 

Reportable Timeframes – Frontline to Management

Employees, volunteers, contractors and other relevant parties are responsible for notifying and reporting to their line manager within these timeframes to the relevant party.

  • Death of a person– Verbal notification within 30mins & written notification within 2hrs
  • Serious injury of a person– Verbal notification within 30mins & written notification within 2hrs
  • Abuse or neglect of a person– Verbal notification within 30mins & written notification within 2hrs
  • Unlawful sexual or physical contact with, or assault of a person– Verbal notification within 30mins & written notification within 2hrs
  • Sexual misconduct committed against, or in the presence of, a person, including grooming of the person for sexual activity – Verbal notification within 30mins & written notification within 2hrs
  • Use of restrictive practice in relation to a person with a disability if the use is not in accordance with a required state or territory authorisation and/or not in accordance with a behaviour support plan – Verbal notification within 30mins & written notification within 2hrs
  • Medication Incident/ Incident - Verbal notification within 30mins & written notification within 2hrs
  • Hazard/ Near Miss – By the end of your shift. 
  • Concerns and/or Changes - By the end of your shift.
  • All other relevant information, changes, and concerns, including the viability of training, qualification, and licenses, should be in writing at the end of the shift or within 24 hours of awareness.

 

Prevention Strategies

 

Strategy 1

Prevention and Response to Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation starts with employee onboarding - workers screening checks, reference checks, qualifications, code of conduct, NDIS commission workers orientation modules and more. 

 

Strategy 2

Prevention and Response to Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation starts with you as a service being a soft place to fall for clients and having multiple access points for clients and stakeholders to provide feedback and complaints, enabling concerns to be treated in confidence. 

 

Strategy 3

Prevention and Response to Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation starts with empowering your clients with knowledge, choice and control over their lives and having this fact documented in your service’s policy and procedure that you implement and review regularly.