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Incident Reporting
At Next Step Life Care, participant safety and wellbeing are central to the way we provide support.
We understand that incidents must be taken seriously, responded to promptly, and managed with care. This page explains how incidents can be reported, what information may be needed, and how Next Step Life Care aims to respond to incidents involving NDIS supports and services.
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission explains that incidents in NDIS supports and services need to be identified, assessed, recorded, managed, and resolved while making sure the person with disability feels safe, respected, and informed. NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
- What Is an Incident?
Understanding incidents in NDIS support.
An incident may include an event, act, omission, or situation that has caused harm, or could have caused harm, to a person with disability. It may also include situations where a person with disability has caused serious harm, or risk of serious harm, to another person. NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
Incidents may relate to:
- Injury or harm
- Safety concerns
- Medication-related concerns
- Behavioural or environmental risks
- Abuse, neglect, violence, exploitation, or discrimination
- Falls or accidents
- Missing or late support that creates risk
- Breaches of privacy or dignity
- Unsafe support environments
- Concerns involving staff, workers, participants, or others
If there is immediate danger or a life-threatening situation, call 000 immediately.
- Our Commitment
We respond to incidents with care, urgency, and respect.
Next Step Life Care is committed to maintaining a safe and responsible support environment for participants, families, carers, workers, and support networks.
We aim to:
01
Take all incidents seriously
02
Respond quickly to immediate risks
03
Support the impacted person
04
Record incidents clearly
05
Communicate respectfully with relevant people
06
Protect privacy and dignity
07
Review what happened
08
Take corrective action where needed
09
Use incidents as opportunities to improve safety and service quality
The NDIS Commission states that providers should use an incident management system to manage incidents and that this system should outline actions and responsibilities during incident management. NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
- How to Report an Incident
Please tell us as soon as possible.
If an incident occurs during or in relation to support provided by Next Step Life Care, please contact us as soon as possible.
You can report an incident by:
Phone:
0405 033 035
Email:
harry@nextsteplifecare.com.au
Post:
Tenancy 6, level 1/80 Grote St, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia
Website Form:
Insert Incident Report Form Link
In Person:
Speak with a staff member or service representative
- What Information Should Be Included?
Helpful details allow us to respond properly.
When reporting an incident, please include as much information as you can safely provide.
Useful information may include:
- Name and contact details of the person reporting
- Participant name
- Date, time, and location of the incident
- Service involved
- What happened
- People involved or witnesses
- Any injury, harm, or immediate risk
- Action already taken
- Whether emergency services were contacted
- Whether medical care was required
- Any photos, documents, notes, or supporting information
- What support the participant may need now
Note:
Report early. Extra details can be added later.
Do not delay reporting because all information is not available. It is better to report early and provide extra details later if needed.
- What Happens After an Incident Is Reported?
We will respond, record, review, and take action.
When an incident is reported, Next Step Life Care will aim to follow a clear and respectful process.
01
Immediate Safety Response
We first check whether the participant or any other person needs urgent medical care, emergency support, or immediate safety action.
02
Acknowledgement and Recording
We acknowledge the incident and record the details in our incident management process.
03
Support for the Impacted Person
We provide support and assistance to the impacted person, including helping them understand what is happening and who can support them.
04
Review and Assessment
We review the incident, assess risks, and consider whether further action, investigation, or reporting is required.
05
Communication With Relevant People
Where appropriate and permitted, we communicate with the participant, family, carer, advocate, support coordinator, plan manager, healthcare professional, or relevant authority.
06
Corrective Action and Improvement
We identify steps to reduce future risk, improve service quality, and strengthen participant safety.
The NDIS Commission states that an incident management system should include procedures for identifying, recording, and reporting incidents, supporting the impacted person, involving them in the management and resolution of the incident, investigating causes, and taking corrective action where required. NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
- Reportable Incidents
Some incidents must be reported to the NDIS Commission.
Some serious incidents connected with NDIS supports or services are known as reportable incidents. Registered NDIS providers must notify the NDIS Commission of all reportable incidents, including incidents already recorded and responded to through their own incident management system. NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
Reportable incidents may include:
- Death of a person with disability
- Serious injury of a person with disability
- Abuse or neglect of a person with disability
- Unlawful sexual or physical contact with, or assault of, a person with disability
- Sexual misconduct against, or in the presence of, a person with disability
- Unauthorised use of restrictive practices
The NDIS Commission states that several serious reportable incident types must be notified within 24 hours from when a registered provider becomes aware of the incident, including death, serious injury, abuse or neglect, unlawful sexual or physical contact or assault, and sexual misconduct. NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
Important Note:
Reportable incident obligations apply to registered NDIS providers. Internal procedures should confirm reporting responsibilities and timeframes.
- Supporting the Impacted Person
The participant’s safety, dignity, and wellbeing come first.
When an incident occurs, our priority is to support the impacted person and help them feel safe, respected, and informed.
Support may include:
- Checking immediate safety and wellbeing
- Arranging medical or emergency support where needed
- Explaining what steps are being taken
- Involving a family member, carer, advocate, or support coordinator if the participant chooses
- Respecting privacy and confidentiality
- Taking steps to reduce future risk
- Privacy and Confidentiality
Incident information is handled carefully.
Incident reports may contain personal, sensitive, or health-related information. Next Step Life Care will handle this information with care and confidentiality.
Information may need to be shared with relevant staff, managers, families, carers, support coordinators, healthcare professionals, emergency services, insurers, regulators, or the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission where required for safety, service delivery, investigation, reporting, or legal and compliance reasons.
For more information, please refer to our Privacy Policy.
- Incident Reporting Form Fields
Suggested Website Form
The website incident reporting form can include the following fields:
For urgent situations, call 000.
Next Step Life Care’s incident reporting form and general contact channels are not emergency services.
If there is immediate danger, serious harm, urgent medical need, or a life-threatening situation, call 000 immediately.
For urgent health concerns, contact your GP, treating healthcare professional, emergency services, or another appropriate crisis support service.
- Frequently Asked Questions
Questions about incident reporting
An incident is an event, act, omission, or circumstance that has caused harm, or could have caused harm, to a person with disability. It may also include situations where a person with disability has caused serious harm, or risk of serious harm, to another person.
You should report an incident as soon as possible, especially if it involves participant safety, harm, risk, staff conduct, missed support, injury, abuse, neglect, privacy, or dignity concerns.
Call 000 immediately if there is immediate danger, serious harm, urgent medical need, or a life-threatening situation.
Yes. A family member, carer, advocate, support coordinator, plan manager, worker, or other representative can report an incident where appropriate.
We will review the incident, respond to immediate risks, support the impacted person, record the details, assess what happened, and take action where required.
A reportable incident is a serious incident or alleged incident connected with NDIS supports or services that registered NDIS providers must notify to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
Incident information will be handled carefully and confidentially. Information may be shared where required for safety, service delivery, investigation, reporting, or legal and compliance reasons.
Yes. If your incident is also a complaint or concern about service quality, you can use our Complaints and Feedback process.
Need More Questions
Need to report an incident or safety concern?
Please contact us as soon as possible so we can respond, support the people involved, and take appropriate action.