Purpose
To ensure a safe, consistent, and documented response to resident falls in aged care facilities, meeting Ngā Paerewa standards.
Scope
All clinical and care staff responding to resident falls. Applies in residential care, rest home, and hospital-level facilities.
Procedure steps
Do not move the resident
Stay calm. Do not attempt to move the resident until assessed. Call for assistance immediately.
Clinical assessment
Registered nurse or senior carer assesses for injury: head injury, loss of consciousness, pain, deformity, skin integrity. Follow facility's clinical assessment tool.
Immediate care
Treat any injuries within scope. Call 111 if serious harm is suspected. Document vital signs baseline.
Notify family/EPOA
Contact next of kin or Enduring Power of Attorney within 4 hours per Ngā Paerewa std 2.7. Document time and outcome of notification.
Incident documentation
Complete incident report in your facility's system (e.g. RiskMan) within 2 hours. Include: time, location, witnesses, conditions, injuries, response actions.
Notify WorkSafe if notifiable
If the fall results in serious harm (hospital admission, fracture, significant injury), notify WorkSafe under HSWA 2015 s56 immediately.
Post-fall monitoring
Implement enhanced monitoring per clinical protocol: obs every 15 minutes for 2 hours minimum. Document in clinical notes.
Review & prevention
Complete a falls risk review within 24 hours. Update falls prevention care plan. Brief team at next handover.
Legislation
| Ngā Paerewa NZS 8134:2021 std 2.7 | Service providers must notify the consumer's family/representative of significant events |
| HSWA 2015 s56 | Notifiable events (serious harm) must be reported to WorkSafe as soon as practicable |
| Health and Disability Services (Safety) Act 2001 s17 | Providers must have documented systems for managing adverse events |
📋 Customise before use — Add your facility's incident reporting system name, falls risk tool reference, and on-call RN contact process.
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