The SIRS reporting tool for Australian aged care
Log, classify, and report serious incidents to the Commission — with the 24-hour Priority 1 clock and the 30-day Priority 2 clock tracked automatically.
Why spreadsheets fail at SIRS
SIRS isn't a tracking problem — it's a deadline problem with a regulator reading over your shoulder.
- No way to know the 24-hour Priority 1 clock is about to close
- No written decision tree — different staff reach different classifications
- Under-classification risk because the evidence trail is missing
- Quarterly aggregate analysis never happens — patterns get missed
- No defensible audit trail when the Commission requests records
What the SIRS reporting tool does
Built around the 8 reportable categories, the 24-hour and 30-day clocks, and the 60/90-day investigation deadlines.
Structured incident logging
A standard incident form with timestamps, location, people involved, and immediate actions — built so that no detail gets lost in the first 10 minutes after the event.
Built-in decision tree
A written, branching decision support tool walks staff through the 8 reportable categories and the Priority 1 vs Priority 2 call. The reasoning is recorded alongside the answer.
Deadline tracking & escalating alerts
The 24-hour and 30-day clocks start automatically when a senior staff member becomes aware. Escalating alerts fire as the deadline approaches so nothing is missed.
Investigation log with linked evidence
Witness statements, clinical notes, CCTV references, medication charts, and corrective actions all live in one timestamped log per incident.
Corrective actions tracked to closure
Every action has an owner, a due date, and a status. Closure is verified, not just documented. The Commission asks for evidence of completion — NovoCove keeps it.
Quarterly SIRS aggregate reports
Generate the quarterly National Summary of SIRS notifications — the report the Commission expects providers to produce and review for patterns.
How a SIRS incident flows through NovoCove
From the moment something happens to the quarterly Commission aggregate report.
- 1
Log the incident
A staff member records the incident with timestamps, location, people involved, and immediate observations. The form takes 2 minutes to complete.
- 2
Escalate to a senior staff member
The moment a senior staff member is flagged, the SIRS clock starts. NovoCove records the awareness timestamp and the staff member who received it.
- 3
Classify with the decision tree
A written, branching tool walks the user through the 8 reportable categories and assigns Priority 1 or Priority 2. The reasoning is captured for the audit trail.
- 4
Notify the Commission
Submit the initial notification via the Commission's portal. Capture the notification reference number and any Commission responses in the same incident record.
- 5
Investigate & close out
60 days for Priority 1, 90 days for Priority 2. Track the investigation, link evidence, capture witness statements, and assign corrective actions to closure.
Who uses the NovoCove SIRS reporting tool
Built for the people doing the work — and the people accountable to the Commission.
Facility managers
See every open SIRS incident, every deadline, and every corrective action across the service in one view.
Clinical care managers
Classify incidents using the decision tree and trigger the 24-hour Commission notification countdown.
Quality & risk teams
Run the quarterly aggregate report, spot patterns by wing or shift, and brief the executive team.
Multi-site providers
Roll up incident data across facilities — same deadline discipline, consistent classification, one audit trail.
Frequently asked questions
What is a SIRS reporting tool?
How does NovoCove help classify SIRS incidents?
Does NovoCove notify the Commission?
How long are SIRS records retained?
Does the SIRS reporting tool work for Support at Home providers?
See the SIRS workflow on your own incident scenario
20-minute demo. Bring a real or hypothetical SIRS incident and we'll walk it through the NovoCove workflow.
Book a demo