Afternoon. In some cases we operate first aid posts which can carry out minor procedures such as suturing, which might otherwise require a trip to hospital; this is usually under the auspices of the NHS by contract. If a member of the public tripped, for example, at a venue and say cut their knee, which was then sutured on-site by us, but which would otherwise have required a trip to hospital for treatment, would this be reportable? I've checked the ACOP, which does refer to people injured in hospital, but it's not helpful and not necessarily clear. My own feeling is no, but interested in what others think, John

I do not report unless taken directly to hospital - this omits Dr's clinics walk-in-centres, health centres etc. I do report however if the WIC is part of a NHS trust. Our Primary Authority supports this call too.

Thanks DP, if only I could engage in useful dialogue with our 'Primary Authority' (the HSE in this case of course), but this is something I fear HSE infoline would be clueless about. I think my confusion stems in part from the way the ACOP is written; what it says is this 'If a person who is not at work is injured on hospital premises as a result of an accident arising out of or in connection with work the injury must be reported if it falls into one of the categories of major injury defined in Schedule 1 to these Regulations. The different requirements are designed to ensure the reporting of accidents at hospitals which would have required removal to a hospital if they had occurred elsewhere.' The problem to me is it's not just major injuries which might require removal to a hospital for treatment; a serious laceration is not a major injury but could certainly need treatment in A&E. So the guidance (which is all it is) is contradicting itself. Maybe I'm making a mountain out of molehill..... but the spirit and the letter seem to be in contradiction here. Then there's the matter of whether our first aid tent, contracted by a local NHS Trust, is analagous to a hospital. DP's reply says it isn't so maybe that's my answer. Hilary, as DP points out this isn't about people at work, it is specifically about the requirement to report injuries to people not at work which need hospital treatment. In my field we come across these relatively frequently, what with 350 charity shops and a large number of care and support services, John