How we will respond to, manage and escalate an incident quickly and effectively, bringing it under control, and limiting the impact to Authentic Life Care.
What is our responsibility
What is an Incident?
An occurrence that causes (or could have caused, in the case of a “Near Miss” damage to property, injury/illness or death.
A reportable incident covers:
- The death of participant
- Serious injury of a participant
- Abuse or neglect of a participant
- Unlawful sexual or physical contact with, or assault of, a participant
- Sexual misconduct committed against, or in the presence of, a participant, including grooming of the participant for sexual activity; and
- The unauthorised use of a restrictive practice in relation to a participant.
Incident Management: The Indispensable Human Element in Quality NDIS Care
Let’s be clear: truly effective Incident Management is much, much more than simply ticking off a mandatory regulatory item. It is, quite frankly, the absolute, non-negotiable cornerstone upon which we build trust and deliver high-quality support within the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). As a respected, established provider of Melbourne NDIS services, we deeply grasp the critical, practical function a proactive, highly nuanced system plays in actively and robustly protecting the well-being, core rights, and everyday choices of every single person we have the unique honour of assisting. Our unwavering commitment is to uphold the most stringent possible standards of care through the meticulous spotting, utterly transparent communication, and decisive resolution of every incident that happens within our service framework.
What Exactly Constitutes a Reportable Incident?
These are highly serious events that, by Australian statute, must be immediately reported to the NDIS Commission. They represent critical, high-level risks to participant protection and invariably demand a thorough, externally documented follow-up. Our procedures guarantee these critical notifications are always made swiftly—typically within a day of our becoming aware of the event.
- The tragic death or serious physical injury of a participant while under our care.
- Any clear evidence of abuse or blatant neglect suffered by a participant.
- Unlawful sexual or physical contact with, or any form of assault of, a participant.
- Sexual misconduct committed against, or in the very presence of, a participant (this includes all attempts at grooming for sexual activity).
- The clear, demonstrable unauthorised use of a restrictive practice against a participant.
Defining the Scope: Reportable vs. Non-Reportable Incidents
Achieving reliable NDIS compliance demands a practical, crystal-clear understanding of which events must be formally reported externally to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission and which are managed most effectively through internal, local pathways. Our robust safety reporting system handles both categories with distinct protocols that are precisely tailored to the specific severity and nature of the event.
Priority One: Participant Protection—Our Guiding Ethos
The central, driving purpose of our entire operational framework remains singular: unwavering participant protection. A genuinely sophisticated approach to incident management NDIS allows our teams to execute three crucial actions: respond immediately, extract essential, real-world lessons, and purposefully reduce potential harm before it has a chance to escalate. This complex process moves far beyond simple record-keeping; it demands we actively nurture a resilient, absolutely honest culture of total accountability, constant organizational learning, and open dialogue across our entire dedicated team.
What is Considered a Non-Reportable Incident?
A non-reportable incident is defined as any occurrence that causes, or clearly could have caused, damage, injury, or illness, but crucially does not meet the severe, high-threshold criteria for mandatory external reporting to the NDIS Commission. While these events won't trigger external notification, they absolutely represent essential, valuable data points for our continuous improvement cycle and are managed fully and comprehensively through our internal incident management NDIS system.
- Minor, easily treatable injuries or illness (for example, a small superficial cut, or a minor fall without serious injury).
- "Near misses" are when a serious incident was narrowly avoided (like a mechanical issue that was fortunately identified just before causing any harm).
- Accidental damage to property (e.g., minor, unintended damage to a vehicle or residence).
- Less severe, but still important, complaints or identified service gaps that require an internal resolution process.
Meticulous Compliance and Safety Reporting Excellence
Our detailed, highly scrupulous approach to safety reporting is our formal guarantee that we fully satisfy every legislative and regulatory mandate issued by the NDIS Commission. We systematically manage the full, complete lifecycle of every incident, ensuring transparency and unwavering adherence to the NDIS Practice Standards.
Partnering for Utmost Peace of Mind
For premium Melbourne NDIS services, intentionally choose a provider whose incident management NDIS framework is utterly anchored in accountability and an absolute, demonstrable commitment to participant protection. We deliver deep, lasting peace of mind by guaranteeing professional, diligent safety reporting and unwavering NDIS compliance across all facets of our service delivery.
What is an Incident?
An occurrence that causes (or could have caused, in the case of a “Near Miss” damage to property, injury/illness or death.
Anyone may recognise and report an incident, such as one member of our team or a participant / nominee or a family member. An incident should be reported as soon as possible, so that we can take action if the incident is significant (reportable) or non-critical.
We will complete an internal incident form on the basis of the information you provide about the incident and record the details in our incident management system.
The incident will be reported to the appropriate supervisor / team leader, or to the Quality and Risk Manager in the absence of the supervisor / team leader. Information of our main incident management personnel can be found at (03) 9754 8706 by calling Authentic Life Care.
Maybe at any point of the incident management process you want some help. That may be staff support, family support, friend support or advocacy service. An advocate may work with you, or work for you in a manner that reflects your needs. It is possible to find any ideas for advocacy groups using the Disability Advocacy Finder.
We will also ask you to provide input and feedback on evaluations, inquiries and any possible solutions or steps taken to address the incident.
We will assess all incidents to determine:
- Why the incident came about;
- If they could have avoided the incident
- How well they handled and resolved the incident
- Future initiatives in the field of prevention; and
- Who else is told of the incident.
We would also look at the impact of the event on the affected person and any organisational problems that could have contributed to the occurrence.
All reportable accidents, with the exception of the improper use of a restrictive procedure, must be reported by the Quality and Risk Manager to the NDIS commission within 24 hours after we become aware of the incident. If there is harm to the participant, any improper use of restrictive procedures must be informed within 5 days but reported within 24 hours.
We can also inform the police or related authorities of alleged crimes or, where necessary, inform guardians, family members or carers.
For reportable events, it will be decided by the NDIS Commission if any action is necessary
At times, in situations where the cause of the incident is unclear or the extent and effect of the incident is important, we may need to collect more information about the incident and conduct an internal investigation. An investigation can take up to five working days, followed up by a thorough report. For example, complicated investigations can take longer to include other external agencies or to interview appropriate individuals.
