Free tool
SIRS Decision Tool: is it reportable?
Work through the questions below to check whether an aged care incident is SIRS-reportable, whether it's Priority 1 orPriority 2, and the exact date and time your report to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission is due. Answers in under a minute.
Everything runs in your browser. No incident details are transmitted, saved, or stored anywhere.
Step 1
How this tool works
This tool mirrors the classification logic published by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC): first it checks whether the incident falls within one of the eight reportable incident types, then it applies thePriority 1 criteria. If any Priority 1 criterion is met, the 24-hour clock applies; otherwise a reportable incident is Priority 2with a 30-day clock. The deadline is always measured from the moment your organisationbecame aware of the incident — which is why the tool asks you to confirm that time, not the time the incident occurred.
For the full explanation — the definitions, penalties for late reporting, and how SIRS interacts with NDIS reporting for dual providers — read thecomplete SIRS reporting guide.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the SIRS reporting deadline for a Priority 1 incident?
- A Priority 1 reportable incident must be reported to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission within 24 hours of the provider becoming aware of the incident. This tool calculates that 24-hour deadline as an exact date and time in your local timezone.
- What is the deadline for a Priority 2 SIRS incident?
- A Priority 2 reportable incident must be reported to the Commission within 30 days of the provider becoming aware of it. Priority 2 covers any of the eight reportable incident types that do not meet the Priority 1 criteria.
- Do we need to report a near miss under SIRS?
- SIRS reportable incidents are defined by the eight categories. A near miss that doesn't result in one of those outcomes isn't SIRS-reportable, but should still be captured in your internal incident management system as good practice, since near misses are often the earliest warning sign of a systemic issue.
- When does the SIRS reporting clock start?
- The clock starts when your organisation becomes aware of the incident, not when the incident occurred. If a family member reports something days later, the deadline is calculated from when that report reached your organisation. Document both dates clearly.