Incident reports are the records most likely to be scrutinised by someone outside the organisation — a regulator, an insurer, a coroner, a complaints investigator. They are also the records most likely to be written badly, because they are written fast and by someone who has just been through the event. The answer is a structure so fixed that it does the thinking when the worker cannot.
What counts as an incident
Settings define this differently, and the definition matters because it triggers reporting obligations. Typically: injury to a client, worker or third party; abuse, neglect or exploitation, alleged or witnessed; a client missing; use of restrictive practice; medication error; aggression or assault; a serious complaint; a near miss that could have caused any of these. In the Australian NDIS, certain incidents are reportable to the NDIS Commission within set timeframes; in UK regulated care, to the CQC or equivalent; in child protection everywhere, to the statutory authority. Know your setting’s list and its clock.
What the report must contain
- Identifiers — reference codes for those involved (not full names in any unsecured draft), date, time, location, who was present.
- What happened — in sequence, factually, in plain language. What was seen and heard; who did what; direct quotes where words matter.
- What led up to it — the preceding minutes or hours, as far as known.
- Immediate actions — first aid, de-escalation, calling emergency services, securing the area — each with a time and the person who did it.
- Injuries or harm — described, not diagnosed. “Approximately 2cm cut to the left forearm, bleeding stopped with pressure”, not “minor injury”.
- Who was informed — manager, family, emergency services, regulator — with times.
- Witnesses — who saw it, and whether they have given an account.
- Author, time of writing, signature.
What does not belong: blame, speculation about causes, opinions about the people involved, and anything the author did not see or hear directly without saying who did.
Incident report example
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Common mistakes
- Written the next day. Same shift, before going home. Every hour costs accuracy.
- Conclusions in the account. “DC-017 attacked DC-041” is a characterisation. Describe the push.
- Missing times. The sequence of actions is the evidence that the response was appropriate.
- Diagnosing injuries. Describe what you saw; let a clinician name it.
- Full names in an email or third-party tool. Reference codes in any draft outside your secure system.
Free incident report template
INCIDENT REPORT TEMPLATE
Reference: [code]
Date/time of incident: [date, time]
Location: [where]
Persons involved: [reference codes]
Present: [who]
Report written: [date, time], by [name, role]
LEAD-UP
[Preceding period, as far as known]
WHAT HAPPENED
[Sequence; factual; quotes where words matter]
IMMEDIATE ACTIONS
[Time — action — by whom]
INJURIES / HARM
[Described, not diagnosed]
DAMAGE
[If any]
INFORMED
[Who; when; by whom]
WITNESSES
[Who; whether an account has been given]
REPORTABLE
[Decision; by whom; external report reference if made]
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
How soon must an incident report be written?
Before the end of the shift. Where a regulator sets a reporting deadline — NDIS Commission, CQC and others do — the internal report must be complete well before it.
Should I include what I think caused the incident?
Not in the account. If your setting’s form has a separate section for contributing factors, complete it there, labelled as your view.
What if I did not see the whole incident?
Say exactly what you saw and heard, and name who saw the rest. Never fill gaps from what you were told without attributing it.