The Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) is a new Government initiative to help prevent and reduce the risk of abuse and neglect for people living or staying in residential aged care homes in Australia.
SIRS replaces the current mandatory reporting requirements. SIRS requires residential aged providers to adopt a systematic approach to minimising the risk of, and responding to, serious incidents involving residents.
SIRS highlights the vital importance of an incident management system in helping every residential aged care service to effectively manage risks to their residents. SIRS will set new arrangements for providers of residential aged care to manage and take reasonable steps to prevent incidents, with a focus on the safety, health, wellbeing and quality of life of aged care consumers.
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission will be responsible for administering SIRS and will have the power to take regulatory action where appropriate. At Whiddon, our aim is to not only ensure we comply with the changes, but more importantly, continue to work towards preventing any such incidents.
When will SIRS commence?
SIRS will commence from 1 April 2021.
How will SIRS work?
There are two key components to SIRS:
• Incident management obligations
• Compulsory reporting obligations.
Every residential aged care provider will need to establish a documented set of protocols, processes, standards and operating procedures to manage ‘reportable incidents’.
Under SIRS, approved providers will be required to report a broader range of incidents to the Commission than previous arrangements. Incidents must be reported within set timeframes depending on the level of impact to the care recipient (there are two priority levels).
While Whiddon already has the required incident management systems in place, we are currently updating our processes, and training our teams to ensure that all of the changes and well understood and supported.
What is a reportable incident?
A reportable incident includes any of the following:
• Unreasonable use of force
• Unlawful sexual contact or inappropriate sexual conduct
• Neglect
• Psychological or emotional abuse
• Unexpected death
• Stealing or financial coercion by a staff member
• Inappropriate physical or chemical restraint
Unexplained absence from care Under SIRS, an allegation, suspicion or witness account of any of the above serious incidents must be reported to the Commission.
What if I have concerns or feedback?
At Whiddon, we want to hear from you. Please do not hesitate to talk to our teams about any concerns you may have. We will partner with you to ensure these concerns are fully heard and addressed.
While we hope that you always feel comfortable talking to our team about any concerns, it is important to note that there are increased protection measures under this scheme. Please also remember that residents have access to free advocacy services, such as OPAN and others.
What are Priority 1 and Priority 2 incidents?
From 1 April 2021, Priority 1 incidents must be reported by providers within 24 hours. These are reportable incidents where the incident has caused, or could reasonably have caused, a care recipient physical or psychological injury or discomfort that requires medical or psychological treatment to resolve. Instances of unexplained absence from care and any unexpected death of a consumer are always to be regarded as Priority 1 reportable incidents.
From 1 October 2021, Priority 2 incidents are reportable incidents that do not meet the criteria for Priority 1 that must be reported to the Commission within 30 days.
What does this mean for Whiddon residents and families?
Whiddon has a robust incident reporting and management system and a strong history of proactively managing risks to protect our residents. Under SIRS, this will continue, however with a broader category of incidents that require reporting to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. It may require our teams to contact you more regularly to inform you when reports are submitted and the progress of our investigations. It is requirement under SIRS that any person mentioned within the mandatory report must be notified prior to submitting the report.
As always, we will continue to let you know of any incidents or concerns with your loved ones regardless of whether they are reportable or not.
Where can I find more information?
You can find more information about SIRS here.