Notify us about a reportable incident

How to notify the NDIS Commission about a reportable incident

Registered NDIS providers should use the NDIS Commission Portal 'My Reportable Incidents' page to notify and manage all reportable incidents and must complete the following steps.

STEP 1. Notify the NDIS Commission

  • Submit an Immediate Notification Form via the NDIS Commission Portal within 24 hours of key personnel becoming aware of a reportable incident or allegation.
  • The Immediate Notification Form includes a number of sections and questions, concerning details of the reportable incident, actions taken in response to the incident and the individuals involved in the incident.
  • An exception to this rule is notifying the NDIS Commission of the use of a restrictive practice that is unauthorised or not in accordance with a behaviour support plan. In these instances, the provider must notify the NDIS Commission within five business days of being made aware of the incident. If however, the incident has resulted in harm to a person with disability, it must be reported within 24 hours.
  • To notify the NDIS Commission of an incident the authorised ‘Notifier’ or ‘Approver’ needs to login to the NDIS Commission Portal and select ‘My Reportable Incidents’ tile at the top of the screen. From here, you will be able to complete an Immediate Notification Form.
  • The NDIS Commission suggests the ‘Authorised Reportable Incidents Approver’ is the person you want to have the authority to review and be responsible for submission to the NDIS Commission. This could be the person specified in your incident management system who is responsible for reporting incidents to the NDIS Commission. The authorised ‘Approver’ will have the ability to submit new Reportable Incidents and view previous Reportable Incidents submitted by their organisation.
  • The NDIS Commission suggests the ‘Authorised Reportable Incidents Notifier’ is a supporting team member who can assist the ‘Authorised Reportable Incidents Approver’ to collate and report the required information. The authorised ‘Notifier’ will have the ability to create new Reportable Incident notifications to be saved as a draft for review and submission by the authorised ‘Approver’. The authorised ‘Notifier’ will need to inform the authorised ‘Approver’ that the Incident is awaiting their review and submission. The ‘Notifier’ can also view past Reportable Incidents they have created through the page.

STEP 2: Submit a 5 Day Form

  • The 5 Day form must be submitted via the ‘My Reportable Incidents’ portal within five business days of key personnel becoming aware of a reportable Incident. This provides additional information and actions taken by the registered NDIS provider.
  • The five-day form is also to be used for incidents involving the unauthorised use of a restrictive practice, other than those resulting in immediate harm of a person with disability.

STEP 3. Submit a final report, if required

  • You may be required to provide a final report. When this is the case, the NDIS Commission will notify you via email and tell you the date this is due.
  • If you are required to submit a final report, you will have access to the final report fields on the NDIS Commission Portal for that incident.

There are key considerations for registered NDIS providers. In all cases, providers must assess:

  • The impact on the NDIS participant.
  • Whether the incident could have been prevented.
  • How the incident was managed and resolved.
  • What, if any, changes will prevent further similar events occurring.
  • Whether other persons or bodies need to be notified.

Where appropriate, the NDIS Commission may require a provider to take remedial measures. The NDIS Commission may work with the provider to implement these measures, and monitor progress. Remedial measures may include, but are not limited to, additional staff training and development or improved services to support NDIS participants and updating policies and procedures.

For further information including hints and tips, please refer to the Reportable Incidents Frequently Asked Questions.

What to do if you cannot report with the NDIS Commission Portal

On occasion providers may experience difficulty accessing, using or submitting via the NDIS Commission portal ‘My Reportable Incidents’ page. This may occur when:

  • The registered NDIS provider does not have access to PRODA
  • The registered NDIS provider does not have access to the NDIS Commission Portal
  • There is a technical IT issue the user cannot resolve with the quick reference guides or with the available support and it is outside of business hours
  • The NDIS commission portal is unavailable due to system updates and maintenance
  • In these circumstances, providers must take all reasonable steps to resolve the issues within the required timeframe by calling the NDIS Commission for support.

Outside of business hours and if all reasonable steps have been taken, a provider should advise the NDIS Commission of these issues as soon as possible by emailing the Reportable Incidents team in their state or territory, or the National Unauthorised Restrictive Practices team:

The email should include:

  • the steps taken to complete the authorised notification form and the presenting issue (date and time attempted and contact made with the NDIS Commission e.g. Tier1 ICT or the Contact Centre);
  • the name and NDIS number of the impacted person;
  • the immediate response and steps taken to ensure the impacted person was safe;
  • a brief description of the RI; and
  • whether other authorities, such as the police, were notified.

 

You will receive an automated response from the NDIS Commission acknowledging receipt. As soon as practical, you will need to progress completion of the 24-hour form. If you continue having difficulties please refer to the website for detailed guidance or contact the Commission on 1800 035 544.

If the NDIS Commission portal or “My Reportable Incidents” page is unavailable for a period the NDIS Commission Reportable Incidents team may:

  • Provide an authorised form and request the information is submitted via email; or
  • Take the 24 hour notification or further information over the phone.

Related resources

This document contains answers to frequently asked questions about using the ‘My Reportable Incidents’ page on the NDIS Commission Portal.