NDIA Accountability Project

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Work Practice — Access Sub Process

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Work Practice — Access Sub Process

OFFICIAL For internal use only DOCUMENT 2

Younger People in Residential Aged Care

Responsibility

  • Regional Site staff
  • National Access Team (NAT) staff
  • Regional Office staff

Interacts with

  • Prospective participants
  • Representatives, nominees and guardians
  • Aged care facilities (ACF)
  • Third parties, community and mainstream services
  • Actuarial team
  • Risk and Fraud team

Workflow

Access > Pre-planning > Planning > Implement > Monitor > Review

Introduction

This work practice sub-process provides information about the access process for potential participants who reside in ACFs. This work practice should be read in conjunction with information contained in the legislation and guidelines below.

  • NDIS Act 2013
  • NDIS Rules 2013, 2014 and 2016
  • NDIS Operational Guidelines

To ensure a nationally consistent approach to supporting people in ACFs to access the NDIS, a defined process has been developed. The process involves regional staff playing a key role in the collection of information in order to complete an access request.

This process is designed to improve capacity to respond to the specific needs of younger people in residential aged care: in particular, ensuring that multiple contacts are not made with the same facility, and that important representatives are not left out of the access request process. It also means that access requests are not unnecessarily delayed through

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double handling of information and that preparation for plan development can begin in a timely manner.

Work instructions

1. Regions confirm data

  • The actuaries will provide spreadsheet data, via the NAT, for prospective participants residing in ACFs to the regional sites.
  • The data is loaded into the NDIS Business System and will include information about the prospective participant’s ACF contact details.
  • The data will not include contact numbers or legal representative details for the prospective participant.
  • Cross reference the information provided in the Business System against the spreadsheet data for consistency.

NB: ACF status can be identified as “Resi Aged” in the Enter Access Request Form task under Access Request Channel. It is also found under the Internal Use button

  • Allocate work to regional site staff as appropriate

2. Staff make contact with ACF

After the potential participant’s information has been received and checked, make contact with the ACF to identify relevant stakeholders, gather supporting evidence for the access request, and arrange an appointment:

  • Ask the ACF staff member to identify the relevant stakeholders and invite them to attend.
  • If the person has no family or representative, the ACF staff member may co-ordinate a suitable representative, for example, a support coordinator or Office of the Public Advocate representative.
  • Ask the ACF staff member to support the person to gather information about their disability, including any assessments or reports from health professionals that detail their impairment and the impact on their daily life.

Note: This information is needed to validate the access request and will ensure that the access process can be completed as efficiently as possible.

  • Once the ACF have indicated that this information is available, and relevant representatives are identified to attend, arrange a suitable time to visit the facility.

3. Prepare materials to attend the facility

  • Before attending the facility, print the Access Request Form — Non-Defined and New. The information gathered on the form can be entered directly into the Business System.

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If internet access is not available, use the Offsystem Access and Pre-Planning pack to record information gathered at the appointment. Use this pack to record pre-planning information only, as the access information is recorded in the paper ARF. Begin at tab B1. Severity Tools.

Refer to the Task Card — Update Severity Indicator and to the Task Card — Off System Access and Pre-Planning Pack.

4. Check representatives

When attending the ACF, ask any representatives to:

  • Confirm their full name and relationship to the prospective participant, and
  • the nature of their authority to make the access request on the prospective participant’s behalf.

Check this information against contacts recorded in the Business System.

If the representative providing consent or assistance with the access request process is not listed as a contact in the Business System, or the person advises that they have no legal authority, e.g. they are not the prospective participant’s Guardian, ask if the prospective participant agrees or would agree to them acting on their behalf and record the person as a contact in the Business System.

If the prospective participant does not consent, or the person advises that the prospective participant would not agree that they are the most appropriate person to act on their behalf, do not proceed with the access process.

Record this information and the reason for not proceeding in an interaction and mark it closed.

Note: The Privacy Contact Officer (PCO) should be contacted for urgent, complex and sensitive privacy and disclosure of information matters such as suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation, serious threat to a person’s life, health or safety, or complex privacy queries by outside bodies seeking personal information.

Refer to the Task Card — Privacy Considerations

5. Complete the ARF

Assist the person to complete the Access Request Form — Non-Defined and New.

  • If the person has been unable to gather information to complete Part F: Your disability, or need for early intervention supports, provide them with the ARF so they can arrange for their health professional to complete the table.
  • The ARF will need to be submitted after this information is obtained. Arrange to follow up again at a later time, and do not proceed any further.

Ensure the person has understood all the questions and information in the form before signing the declaration.

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Note: If the person does not consent to obtaining information from Centrelink, or does not provide their CRN, they will need to provide other documentary evidence of age and residence within 28 days of completing the ARF.

Refer to the Task Card — Validate Access Request as Complete

6. Commence Information Gathering

After the completion of the ARF with the person or their representative, commence information gathering for the purposes of planning as appropriate.

As it is possible that the person may not meet access requirements, it is important to keep this in mind when communicating with staff and residents of ACFs.

When commencing information gathering:

  • Provide information about what to expect when the ARF is processed.
  • Explain that written information about the access decision will be sent to the person via post, including instructions about what to do if they disagree with the decision.
  • Do not indicate that an access decision has been made, or that entry into the Scheme is likely.

For further information, refer to the Work Practice — Planning Overview.

Collect Disability Severity Indicator information

  • Collect, infer or administer the relevant tool following the instructions in the Task Card — Update Severity Indicator or Task Card — Infer Severity Indicator.
  • If internet access is not available, record this information in the Offsystem Pre-planning pack under tab B1

7. Process information gathered for Access Request

  • Scan the completed ARFs to the NAT@ndis.gov.au using the subject line ACF - NDIS number - Surname, to identify the case.

    NB: do not send ARFs that are not complete

  • Upload any supporting evidence documents to Inbound Documents in the person’s record

  • Upload any information recorded with the Off System Pre-Planning Pack to Inbound Documents

  • Record an Interaction that includes the following text:

    • ARF sent to NAT for processing, awaiting access decision for planning to progress if appropriate
    • <staff member’s name>
    • any other relevant information. Leave the Interaction open

Do not reassign the application. The application will remain as follows:

  • At Employee Responsible: Michael Jackson

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8. NAT process the ARF

NAT staff process the ARF and send an access met or not met letter to the prospective participant.

  • If further information is needed to validate the access request, contact the staff member identified in the Interaction who gathered the information
  • If access is met, do not reassign or unassign the application. PMU will ensure that the record is progressed for planning.
  • If access is not met, contact original staff member to discuss support and linkages, following instructions in the Task Card — Determine the Access Decision

Supporting material

  • Work Practice — Access Overview
  • Task Card — Privacy Considerations
  • Task Card - Update Severity Indicator
  • Task Card - Infer Severity Indicator
  • Task Card — Record Third Party Consent
  • Task Card — Validate Access Request as Complete

Feedback

If you have any feedback about this Work Practice please email Pathway Resources. In your email remember to include the title of the product you are referring to and to describe your suggestion or issue concisely.

Version change control

Version No Amended by Brief Description of Change: Status Date
1.00 SW0065 Developed in line with full scheme requirements APPROVED 5-05-17
1.01 AM0051 Addition of WLM related instructions DRAFT 15/02/18
1.02 LA0011 Executive review and Approval APPROVED 16/02/18

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