Effective from September 2022

Approved by: Chief Operating Officer

At a Glance

Five Good Friends and The Lookout Way are committed to ensuring safe and effective service provision for Members and a safe working environment for workers.   This policy outlines the expectations of the workforce of Five Good Friends and The Lookout Way for incident management.

Scope

All workers (employees, Helpers, and contractors), third party partners, and Members within Five Good Friends (FGF) and The Lookout Way (TLW).

Objective

To provide workers and stakeholders with an approach to incident management that encourages fast reporting and effective investigation incorporating analysis, corrective actions and continuous improvement.  This will enable FGF and TLW to manage risks to Members and workers, improve the quality of care and services delivered, and ensure a safe working environment.

Definitions

• Incident – an event or set of circumstances which could have resulted or did result in harm, illness, loss, property damage, or disruption to normal services.
• Near Miss – is when an occurrence, event or omission happens that does not result in harm but had the potential to do so.
• Open Disclosure – means having an open discussion with our workers and Members and includes:
  • identifying when things go wrong
  • acknowledging and expressing regret
  • providing support to those affected
  • finding out and explaining what happened, and
  • learning from the experience.
• Reportable Incidents – are specified types of serious incidents that are required to be reported to external agencies (e.g. WorkSafe, NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, Aged Care Quality & Safety Commission).

Policy Statements

• FGF and TLW are committed to effective incident management focused on promoting the safety of workers and Members, provision of quality supports and services, and continuous improvement.
• This includes our responsibility to prevent, manage, respond effectively to, and minimise the risk of incidents.
• We expect and value the identification and reporting of incidents. This includes a blame-free culture that encourages workers to report errors or near misses without fear of reprimand. We encourage workers to report incidents, to learn from them, collaborate, and build solutions when things go wrong.
• We ensure our workers understand the incident management system and have the skills to undertake their role in the management of incidents.
• We investigate incidents transparently and thoroughly.
• We believe in open disclosure and will have open discussions when things go wrong.
• We maintain records of all incidents in our incident management system.
• We review our incident management system for effectiveness.
• The Quality Outcomes Manager is the dedicated reporter of reportable and notifiable incidents.
• We ensure our incident management approach aligns with the requirements of the NDIS aged care, and Workplace Health and Safety requirements of each state within which we operate.

References and Related Documents

Five Good Friends and The Lookout Way

• Incident Management Workflow
• Work Health and Safety Policy

External

• NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission – Detailed Guidance for Registered NDIS Providers
• Effective Incident Management System, Best Practice Guidance – Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
• Safe Work Australia – Information Sheet – Incident Notification
• Open Disclosure Framework and Guidance – Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission