Queensland Consolidated Regulations

HOSPITAL AND HEALTH BOARDS REGULATION 2023 - REG 37

37 Reportable events

(1) For section 94 of the Act , definition
"reportable event" , each of the following events is prescribed—

(a) surgery or another invasive procedure being performed on the wrong site of a patient’s body resulting in serious harm to the patient or the death of the patient;

(b) surgery or another invasive procedure being performed on the wrong patient resulting in serious harm to the patient or the death of the patient;

(c) the wrong surgical or other invasive procedure being performed on a patient resulting in serious harm to the patient or the death of the patient;

(d) the unintended retention of a foreign object in a patient after surgery or another invasive procedure resulting in serious harm to the patient or the death of the patient;

(e) a haemolytic blood transfusion reaction caused by ABO incompatibility resulting in serious harm to or the death of the patient receiving the blood transfusion;

(f) the suspected suicide of a patient within an acute psychiatric unit or ward;

(g) an error relating to a patient’s medication resulting in serious harm to the patient or the death of the patient;

(h) the use of physical or mechanical restraint resulting in serious harm to a patient or the death of a patient;

(i) the use of an incorrectly positioned orogastric or nasogastric tube resulting in serious harm to a patient or the death of a patient;

(j) the discharge or release of a patient who is a child under the age of 15 years to an unauthorised person;

(k) a stillbirth;

(l) any death of a patient, or serious harm or other harm to a patient that is likely to be permanent, that—

(i) is not mentioned in paragraphs (a) to (i) ; and

(ii) was not reasonably expected to be an outcome of the health service provided to the patient.

(2) For subsection (1) (f) , an
"acute psychiatric unit or ward" is a specialised unit or ward, including a unit or ward within an emergency department, for the treatment and care of admitted patients with a mental illness if the unit or ward—

(a) is specifically designed with fixtures and fittings that minimise the opportunity for patient suicide; and

(b) is specifically designed to prevent any unauthorised ingress or egress; and

(c) is subject to protocols for the observation of patients within the unit or ward.

(3) In this section—

"ABO incompatibility" , in relation to a blood transfusion received by a patient, means the use of an incompatible blood group for the patient in the transfusion.

"invasive procedure" means a medical procedure that enters a person’s body including, for example, by cutting or puncturing the skin or by inserting a needle, tube, device or scope into the body.

"mechanical restraint" means a device that controls a person’s freedom of movement.

"mental illness" see the Mental Health Act 2016 , section 10 .

"serious harm" , for a patient, means harm to the patient—

(a) that requires life-saving surgical or medical intervention; or

(b) shortens the patient’s life expectancy; or

(c) that is permanent or long-term physical harm; or

(d) that is a permanent or long-term loss of a physical function.

"stillbirth" means the birth of a child—

(a) who shows no sign of respiration or heartbeat, or other sign of life, after completely leaving the child’s mother’s body; and

(b) who—

(i) has been gestated for 20 weeks or more; or

(ii) weighs 400g or more.

"unauthorised person" , in relation to a child, means a person who—

(a) is not a parent or legal guardian of the child; or

(b) is not acting under the express or implied authority of a parent or legal guardian of the child for the purpose of subsection (1) (j) ; or

(c) is prevented from having access to the child by an order of a court or tribunal.