Submission No 247
INQUIRY INTO IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE SCHEME AND THE PROVISION OF DISABILITY SERVICES IN NEW SOUTH WALES
Name: Mr Steve Forsyth Date Received: 9 August 2018
I would like to make some comments about our experience with the NDIS to date. I apologise for the email without attachment but I am aware the submissions close today and I only have an iPad to work with at the moment.
My daughter Hannah receives support under the NDIS. Her initial assessment provided a strong plan, however when the approved plan was returned it was an entirely different plan. we were advised to take it up with the Appeals Tribunal. The whole Review Process including the AAT – Administrative Appeals Tribunal was a waste of time and we were advised that we should wait for the next review as it would occur before any determination could be made by the AAT. We were also concerned that the internal review of the NDIA plan was completed by the same person who developed her plan in the first place. We raised this with the AAT
The service provider we have been using in Wagga has very high km travel charges. When we raised this, the NDIA response was to ‘negotiate with service providers’ – The Leisure Company (TLC) and Northcott
- Northcott charges on top of daily short stay (respite) amount requiring additional 1 hour for personal care support (showering)
- TLC charges for a change of activity fee of two weeks when a new service agreement appears in a new plan – Hannah is choosing reduced hours with the Leisure Company as she is having 1:1 with private staff to better follow her goals of community contribution and engagement – work experience at RDA and dog walking. TLC wants to charge her 10 additional hours over two weeks. They view this as a change of activity which it is not – it’s a new service agreement with new services being purchased. Additional cost out of Hannah’s plan would be about $1000.
I raise these issues not as complaints but as examples of varying practices with apparently little control over the fees and service charges raised by the providers.
There remains an under-skilled workforce and the NDIS might have greater influence here in ensuring that with the increased demands for services, staff are better qualified and trained for the roles that are becoming increasingly important.
Price guide caps for support staff are around $50.00 per hour plus penalty rates and yet some staff are being paid under SCHADS Award – about $25.00 per hour. There is growing evidence that the providers are increasingly working under a Business Model at the expense of a person-centred service.
Thank you