1. Purpose and scope

This policy applies to all staff, volunteers, trustees, and anyone participating in or visiting Healing Hubs activities, whether at our premises or at external venues.

It covers accidents (unplanned events causing injury or ill health), incidents (unplanned events that could have caused injury or harm), and near misses (events that did not result in harm but had the potential to do so).

2. Responsibilities

The Board of Trustees has overall responsibility for ensuring this policy is implemented and reviewed.

Team Managers are responsible for ensuring accidents and incidents are reported promptly and that appropriate action is taken within their projects.

All staff and volunteers are responsible for reporting any accident, incident, or near miss to their Team Manager as soon as practicable.

3. Reporting an accident or incident

Any accident, incident, or near miss must be reported to the Team Manager immediately or as soon as it is safe to do so.

A written record must be completed using the Incident Report Form within 24 hours of the event. The record should include: the date, time, and location; the names of those involved; a description of what happened; any injuries sustained; and any immediate action taken.

Incidents arising from telephone befriending calls must also be reported to the Team Manager using the Incident Report Form.

Where a service user, visitor, or member of the public is involved, their next of kin or emergency contact should be notified where appropriate.

4. Serious incidents

A serious incident is one that results in significant harm, death, major injury, or that poses a serious risk to the reputation or financial stability of the charity.

Serious incidents must be reported to the Charity Commission as soon as possible and no later than within one week of the incident occurring.

Where required under RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013), incidents must also be reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

5. Investigation

All accidents and incidents will be investigated to identify the root cause and any contributing factors.

The level of investigation will be proportionate to the severity of the event.

Findings and any recommended actions will be documented and shared with relevant staff and volunteers.

6. Learning and improvement

The Healing Hubs is committed to learning from accidents and incidents to improve safety for everyone.

Trends in accident and incident data will be reviewed at least annually by the Team Managers and reported to the Board of Trustees.

Any changes to procedures, training, or risk assessments arising from an investigation will be implemented promptly.

7. Confidentiality

All accident and incident records will be treated as confidential and stored securely in line with our Privacy Policy and UK GDPR obligations.

Records will be retained for a minimum of three years, or longer where required by law.

8. Review

This policy will be reviewed annually or following any significant accident, incident, or change in legislation.