Incidents

Incident Management Policy

Able & Co Allied Health | Incident Management Policy | AC-INC-001

ABLE & CO ALLIED HEALTH PTY LTD

ABN 78 697 626 430

INCIDENT MANAGEMENT POLICY & PROCEDURE

Document Number	AC-INC-001
Version	1.1
Issue Date	18 June 2026
Review Date	18 June 2027
Owner	Founder / Incident Manager
Regulatory Basis	NDIS (Reportable Incidents) Rules 2018; NDIS Practice Standards; NDIS Act 2013 s.73Z

1. Purpose  1

2. Evidence Base    1

3. Definitions  1

4. Reportable Incidents — Classification    1

5. Incident Response Procedure  1

5.1 Immediate Response (0–2 Hours)  1

5.2 Initial Notification (2–24 Hours)   1

5.3 Full Report (Within 5 Business Days)    1

5.4 Investigation (Within 15 Business Days) 1

5.5 Corrective Actions and Closeout 1

6. Incident Register — Template 1

7. Prevention and Learning  1

8. Responsibilities 1

9. Participant Support and Involvement  1

9.1 Immediate Support   1

9.2 Involvement in Investigation    1

9.3 Access to Advocacy  1

10. Approval    1

1. Purpose

This policy establishes Able & Co Allied Health's framework for identifying, reporting, managing, and learning from incidents involving NDIS participants. It ensures compliance with the NDIS (Reportable Incidents) Rules 2018 and the NDIS Practice Standards, and protects the safety and rights of all participants.

The policy is informed by contemporary research on incident management systems in disability and health services, including evidence that systematic incident learning reduces recurrence rates by up to 60% (Braithwaite et al., 2017).

2. Evidence Base

#	Reference
[1]	Braithwaite, J., Westbrook, M.T., Travaglia, J.F., & Hughes, C. (2017). The systems factor in patient safety. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 19(2), 87–95.
[2]	Robinson, S., & Chenoweth, L. (2011). Preventing abuse in disability services: A literature review. Queensland Government. Foundational evidence for incident prevention in disability support.
[3]	World Health Organization. (2020). Patient Safety: Making Health Care Safer. WHO. Incident classification and near-miss reporting frameworks.
[4]	Iacono, T., Johnson, H., & Beswick, J. (2009). Harm indicators and restrictive practices in disability services. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 22(3), 231–245.
[5]	NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. (2022). Reportable Incidents: Guidance for NDIS Providers. NDIS Commission. Primary regulatory guidance document.
[6]	Reason, J. (1990). Human Error. Cambridge University Press. Systems theory underpinning incident causation analysis (Swiss Cheese Model).

3. Definitions

Term	Definition
Incident	Any event or circumstance that could have, or did, cause harm to a participant, staff member, or visitor.
Near Miss	An event that did not cause harm but had the potential to do so. Near misses are reported and investigated to prevent future incidents.
Reportable Incident	An incident that must be notified to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission under the NDIS (Reportable Incidents) Rules 2018.
Serious Incident	A reportable incident involving death, serious injury, abuse, neglect, or restrictive practices.
Root Cause	The fundamental underlying reason an incident occurred, which, if addressed, prevents recurrence.

4. Reportable Incidents — Classification

Class	Type of Incident	Reporting Timeframe	Authority
Class 1	Death of a participant	Within 24 hours	NDIS Commission + Police
Class 1	Serious injury (hospitalisation)	Within 24 hours	NDIS Commission
Class 1	Abuse or neglect	Within 24 hours	NDIS Commission + Police
Class 1	Unlawful sexual/physical contact	Within 24 hours	NDIS Commission + Police
Class 1	Use of unauthorised restrictive practices	5 business days (24 hours if harm caused)	NDIS Commission
Class 2	Unexpected absence from care	Within 5 business days	NDIS Commission
Non-reportable	Significant medication error	Internal only (reportable if causes serious injury or harm)	Incident Manager
Non-reportable	Property damage by participant	Internal only (reportable if linked to serious harm, abuse or neglect)	Incident Manager
Non-reportable	Near miss / minor incident	Internal register only	Incident Manager

5. Incident Response Procedure

5.1 Immediate Response (0–2 Hours)

Ensure safety of the participant and others — call 000 if required
Provide first aid or medical assistance as needed
Secure the scene and preserve evidence where relevant
Notify the participant's emergency contact or next of kin
Notify the Incident Manager (Founder: rob@ableandco.au / phone on file) within 2 hours
Commence incident documentation in the Incident Register

5.2 Initial Notification (2–24 Hours)

Incident Manager assesses classification (Class 1, Class 2, or non-reportable)
For Class 1: Notify NDIS Commission online portal within 24 hours
For Class 1 involving criminal acts: Also notify NSW Police
Notify relevant NDIS support organisation
Preserve all relevant records — do not alter or destroy documentation

5.3 Full Report (Within 5 Business Days)

Complete and submit full incident report to NDIS Commission
Include: full description, contributing factors, immediate actions taken, interim safeguards
Notify participant and/or representative in writing

5.4 Investigation (Within 15 Business Days)

Conduct root cause analysis using the 5 Whys or fishbone methodology
Interview all relevant parties (participant, staff, witnesses)
Review relevant documentation and records
Document findings in the Incident Investigation Report
Develop corrective action plan with assigned owners and due dates

5.5 Corrective Actions and Closeout

Implement all corrective actions by due dates
Verify effectiveness of actions taken
Close incident in register with outcome summary
Report to NDIS Commission (updated report if required)
Include in quarterly incident review and annual quality report

6. Incident Register — Template

ID	Date	Participant ID	Class	Description	Reported To	Status	Corrective Action
I-001		P-XXX	Class 1/2/NR	[Brief description]	NDIS Commission / Internal	Open/Closed	[Action]
I-002

7. Prevention and Learning

Able & Co uses a systems-based approach to incident prevention (Reason, 1990). Individual errors are understood in the context of system design, not solely as individual failures.

Quarterly incident review — identify patterns, systemic risks, and emerging hazards
Annual safety report — includes de-identified incident analysis for quality improvement
Near-miss reporting encouraged — no-blame culture for honest reporting
Corrective actions tracked to closure — no action is considered complete until verified effective
Platform updates — systemic issues escalated to product development backlog

8. Responsibilities

Role	Responsibility
Founder / Incident Manager	Receive notifications; assess classification; notify NDIS Commission; lead investigation; maintain register; quarterly review.
Partner Organisation Staff	Report incidents immediately; preserve evidence; cooperate with investigation; implement corrective actions.
Support Workers	Report any incident or near miss to their organisation immediately; never withhold information.

9. Participant Support and Involvement

Able & Co Allied Health is committed to ensuring that participants affected by an incident are supported, informed, and meaningfully involved throughout the incident management process, consistent with the NDIS Practice Standards and the rights of NDIS participants.

9.1 Immediate Support

The participant is the first priority following any incident. Immediate medical, emotional, or safety support is provided before any administrative steps.
The participant’s emergency contact or next of kin is notified promptly, with the participant’s consent where possible and appropriate.
The participant is informed of what happened, in plain language, at the earliest appropriate opportunity.

9.2 Involvement in Investigation

The participant (or their representative) is offered the opportunity to contribute their perspective to the investigation, including describing what happened and what they would like to see done differently.
Participants are informed of the outcome of any investigation and the corrective actions taken, in a format that is accessible and appropriate to their communication needs.

9.3 Access to Advocacy

Participants are informed of their right to access independent advocacy at any point during the incident process. Able & Co will provide referral to an appropriate disability advocacy service on request.
Participants are also informed of their right to make a complaint to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission directly, and the complaint process is explained in plain language.

10. Approval

_______

Able & Co Allied Health Pty Ltd — Incident Manager

Able & Co Allied Health Pty Ltd

18 June 2026

Incident Management  |  v1.0  |  18 June 2026   Page 9

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