Joint Standing Committee Ndis.sen@aph.gov.au
15th November 2017
Dear Committee,
I am writing to express my significant concern regarding the multiple issues arising as a result of the NDIS in provision of services to people with a disability.
I am the director of Illawarra Allied Health Services, a practice consisting of 5 therapists, who provide services to people with disabilities in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven regions. All my therapists are highly experienced in the disability sector. I personally have over 20 years’ experience in providing Occupational Therapy services, with the past 7 years being specifically in the disability sector.
As a provider, we are all used to meeting the various requirements of various funding bodies and meeting service level agreements. However, I must express that I have never come across a more frustrating scheme, which is evidenced by ineffective processing, a lack of transparency, an inability to respond to urgent situations and most importantly frustration, confusion and increasing stress levels for my clients. Some specific examples of areas of concern include:
- Unclear procedures with regards to applications for Assistive Technology. Currently requests for Assistive Technology are submitted to the general NDIS email address, with generally a confirmation email response being sent. Once the Assistive Technology form has been submitted though there is no transparency as to where and to whom these forms have gone to for consideration, no apparent flow charts or procedures to track these applications progress, no timeframes available, no ability to speak to anybody specifically about an application and decisions being made, and Assistive Technology requests being declined with no consultation with the family or prescribing therapist. Currently I am chasing an application for a client where the piece of Assistive Technology was apparently declined because there was no quote attached, however I have confirmed through the NDIS hotline and the clients Local Area Co-ordinator that the quote is in fact sitting in the NDIS system. I have made multiple phone calls to the hotline who have passed on my request to the local office to have someone contact me so this issue can be discussed and hopefully rectified, however I have not had a return call. I have now been following this up for over a month with no success.
- I have another client who had submitted a review of his 1st plan due to significant errors and omissions. He submitted his review application and supporting documentation in August and has followed up by calling the NDIS on a weekly basis only to discover recently that his paperwork and application were ‘lost’. This client had a highly customised power wheelchair, which he urgently requires for all mobility, approved and was ready to be funded through EnableNSW, however due to the timing of him receiving his plan this was then required to be funded through the NDIS…..he is still waiting for his review and his wheelchair application to be considered. This client’s current wheelchair requires urgent
replacing and in the event that it has further mechanical failure will result in my client being bed ridden.
- I have concerns that planners and reviewers do not have an allied health background and have poor understanding of medical/clinical conditions and best practise for the disability sector. It is beyond the scope of planners and reviewers who are not allied health professionals to make decisions regarding appropriate home modifications, equipment or services, and this has been evidenced by reports from my clients as to their interactions with some planners with regards to Assistive Technology applications.
- There is no avenue under the NDIS for applying for Assistive Technology that is required urgently. People with a disability often have unexpected changes in their functional abilities and can require additional pieces of Assistive Technology or changes to their Assistive Technology to ensure their wellbeing and ability to participate in daily living activities and community access. Without the flexibility of the system to accommodate urgent changes in a client’s needs people with a disability are being placed into a situation where they are at risk of pressure care issues, manual handling injuries and compromised independence, safety and wellbeing.
I appreciate the intention of the NDIS in meeting the needs of people with a disability, however I know that many of the families that I work with have found the process to be difficult to negotiate, unclear in its processes and has added additional stress to their lives. As a provider the lack of clarity around processes, slow timeframes and inability to speak with decision makers is affecting my ability to provide timely services and support to my clients.
I am happy to speak with you further regarding these concerns and hope that your office can assist in getting some resolution through implementing changes to the current NDIA processes.
Kind regards