Submission No 161
INQUIRY INTO IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE SCHEME AND THE PROVISION OF DISABILITY SERVICES IN NEW SOUTH WALES
Name: Mr Bernard Wilkat Date Received: 7 August 2018
I am happy to hear that the government actually wants to hear from users of the NDIS and I hope that the people reading these submissions actually read and implement changes where they might be needed!
I was also Happy to hear last year that I would be accepted into the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Prior to the NDIS I was being looked after by Enable NSW and later my aged Care became involved. I was also impressed that I was given a chance to give input as to what my requirements would be with the NDIS, and then for my local area coordinator to submit my requirements to the NDIS, although it adds a middle level of people that I do not see the need for.
On the other had I was also told I would have to engage the services of an occupational therapist.In my mind, in this instance, it was a total waste of money because all the things I asked for, except for a ramp seemed to not be important to my OT. I was told that the ramp I wanted and still need, could not be supplied according to specifications laid down by the NDIA! I was originally quoted an amount for a rubber ramp that would have been helpful and totally satisfactory for my needs, that ramp was already researched by the OT supplied by My local Community Health office at Lawson! The only problem there was getting the money to pay for it, even though it would have been subsidised through EnableNSW, I just could not afford to put the money aside! (I have missing teeth and can not afford to get a new plate made) The total cost for the rubber ramp, would have been less than 1/4 of the cost of the ramp proposed by the OT I had! Meanwhile the cost of the OT would have covered the cost of three rubber ramps! Bureaucracy at it’s finest!
Their company was paid by by the NDIS, and sadly the cost for their services was around $3000. simply for getting a quote on two of the things I asked for, and measuring the door (twice) where the ramp is required and bringing a builder to do a quote, which I refused to even consider because of the size and scope of the proposed ramp! It would have made access to the house awkward and would have made my life more difficult! Later after I refused the proposed ramp, I never heard or saw the OT again except for seeing the invoices for their services! The OT did not even speak to me about the quotes they were sent by the supplier for the spare battery and tray table I asked for!
I am currently trying to source a couple of toilet seats for use by the disabled that have buffers built into the seats to stop the seats from sliding sideways when transferring from a wheelchair! This was another thing I asked the OT for and was never even looked at! There would have been some money saved by not having the requirement of an OT that did nothing but get a couple of quotes and measure the width and height of the step at my front door!
I also found myself without a proper replacement power assist chair when my chair was taken away multiple times in the past two years both with EnableNSW and the NDIS! I think that is irresponsible of the suppliers that sold the equipment in the first place and especially when they promised backup of the equipment within 24 hours! I also doubt that they offered any warranties on any of their equipment, which would be a given if I was buying privately! I believe that the government would have saved 1000’s and in one case I think they would have been charged for problems actually caused by the repairer, where they had to wait for replacement parts from overseas, as an example, the chair would not work after it had been pulled apart to repair loose screws, and a scraping, the screws were tightened but during the course of the repair the wiring loom was damaged and had to be replaced.
I have no idea of what they invoiced for and if the parts were charged for, but, my point is, was there any explanation? or anyone to advocate for why I was without a chair for the month? and or was there any duty of care and responsibility to the purchaser and end user, regarding the products reliability and suitability of the product in this case, power assist wheels! Currently My wheels have been sent overseas for repair at a quoted cost of Approx. $5500, with an expected repair time of 2 months! When I heard this I insisted I had to have a replacement set of wheels to assist m but I should have been offered this straight away! Had I not been adamant that I needed something I do not doubt that I would be using a manual chair today severely limiting my ability to get around, and causing me again to need medical attention for a torn tendon or bursitis in my shoulders, not to mention the pains in my fingers that were starting to develop from the absolutely
terrible chair I was given in the interim period, while I was waiting for what I thought would be at most a week, without my power assist wheels! Thankfully a set of “demo” wheels was found that I could use while my wheels are overseas!
Thats it from me, for the moment, hopefully all the teething problems will be sorted out eventually, as I know there are others worse off than me! Look up the face book Page regarding the NDIS!