Accident or Incident Reporting Policy

Aim

The aim of Cavendish Homecare Professionals is to ensure that all clients, visitors and staff are protected by having in place a system of accident reporting so that accidents can be properly investigated, and preventative action taken to ensure that they are not repeated.

Policy

• All accidents, incidents and ‘near misses’ must be recorded and reported to Cavendish Homecare Professionals management.
• In this context a ‘near miss’ is understood as an event which could have led to an accident or an injury but luckily did not so.
• A written record should be kept of all accidents and incidents.
• The record should be made using the Accident / Incident Report forms which are available in the office. This should be filled in by the person suffering the accident or by a member of staff completing it on their behalf. Forms should be witnessed and counter-signed by a witness wherever possible.
• Accident reports should include:
  1. the date, time and place of incident that occurred
  2. the name, address and job of the injured or ill person, or client
  3. details of the injury/illness and what first aid was given
  4. what happened to the person immediately afterwards
  5. the name and signature of the first aider or person dealing with or witnessing the incident
• Where it is necessary to notify the HSE of a RIDDOR reportable accident, report form F2508 must be competed.
• Fatal accidents, major injury accidents/conditions and dangerous occurrences must be reported immediately (normally by telephone) to the HSE by the person in charge or their nominated deputy. Telephone notification should always be followed up with submission of form F2508. Copies of the completed form should be held by the organisation.
• Written records of reportable accidents and dangerous occurrences (i.e. those which must be reported to the appropriate enforcing authority) must be kept for a minimum of three years.
• According to the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 and the Fundamental Standards, accidents which result in death or serious injuries must be reported to the Care Quality Commission.
• The CQC define serious injuries as including:
  • Injuries that lead to or are likely to lead to permanent damage – or damage that lasts or is likely to last more than 28 days – to:
    • a person’s sight, hearing, touch, smell or taste
    • any major organ of the body (including the brain and skin)
    • bones
    • muscles, tendons, joints or vessels
    • intellectual functions, such as intelligence, speech, thinking, remembering, making judgements or solving problems.
  • Injuries or events leading to psychological harm, including:
    • post traumatic stress disorder
    • other stress that requires clinical treatment or support
    • psychosis
    • clinical depression
    • clinical anxiety
    • the development after admission of a pressure sore of grade 3 or above that develops after the person has started to use the service (European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel Grading)
    • any injury or other event that causes a person pain lasting or likely to last for more than 28 days
    • any injury that requires treatment by a healthcare professional in order to prevent death, permanent injury or any of the outcomes, harms or pain described above.
• Adverse incidents or accidents involving medical devices must be reported to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) as soon as possible after the incident.
• Senior management of Cavendish Homecare Professionals, in collaboration with staff representatives, will be responsible for monitoring the pattern of accident reports and for arranging for investigations into reported accidents so that the root causes can be identified. All staff will be expected to cooperate with these investigations and work towards establishing an effective safety culture.
• All staff will receive induction training and updates on all aspects of safe working practice, including reporting procedures in the case of accidents and untoward incidents. Training for reporting accidents will focus on the legal and moral duty to report all accidents and near-miss incidents, however minor, and the consequences of failing to do this.

Management duties

Cavendish Professional managers have a duty to:

• Regularly audit the use of this policy and the effectiveness of accident reporting procedures.
• Regularly review accidents and near misses reported to ascertain the nature of incidents that have occurred in the workplace and any patterns. This review should be in addition to any individual investigation of the circumstances surrounding each incident.
• Monitor the occurrence of accidents, taking action as required and fully investigating any complaints.

Staff duties

Staff in this organisation have a duty to:

• Report all accidents or incidents no matter how minor and including ‘near misses.
• Always act in full compliance with this policy.
• Attend appropriate training.
• Cooperate with all accident investigations.

Training

• Induction will include guidance on accident reporting.
• All staff will be trained in how to report accidents.

Revised: January 2024

Version 9

Source: ECM