NDIA Accountability Project

Functional assessment tools and NDIS navigation for GPs

National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024 [Provisions]

Submission 201

May May 2024 2024

Dr Dr Michaela Michaela Baulderstone Baulderstone

General General Practitioner Practitioner

Committee Secretary
Senate Standing Committees on Community Affairs

PO Box 6100 Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600

By email: community.affairs.sen@aph.gov.au

Dear Committee Secretary

RE: National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024

I am writing to express support for the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners’ (RACGP) submission in response to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024 (the Bill).

I am a general practitioner (GP) working out of Hillcrest, South Australia, where I provide critical healthcare for around 20 per week NDIS recipient patients. I deliver patient-centred, comprehensive and ongoing care to people with disability, and support patients to apply for NDS funding by providing supporting evidence and completing relevant assessments and reports.

The RACGPs submissions on the bill notes the lack of detail on the revised NDIS access and planning process at this point in time and emphasizes the need for GPs to play a central role in any new process. The submission addresses topics including the use of functional assessment tools, issues with the NDIS Access Request Form, and creation of NDIS navigators as recommended by the NDIS Review. It includes the following recommendations:

  • GPs should have input into the NDIS planning process at an individual participant level and be able to communicate with NDIS planners whilst ensuring the key principles of choice and control underpinning the NDIS are maintained.
  • The RACGP requests an opportunity to provide feedback on functional assessment tools being considered as part of a revised NDIS access process.
  • A less prescriptive application form that allows GPs to articulate the impact of a patient’s functional impairment should be introduced. The form must be accessible and able to integrate with general practice clinical information systems.
  • The RACGP is keen to explore the concept of NDIS navigation further, including the possibility of this function being delegated - either fully or in part-to-general practice teams.

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) must ensure GPs are adequately remunerated, informed and trained in any new processes. This must be clear, transparent, and not result in an additional administrative burden for general practices.

I strongly encourage the Committee to recommend that a central role for GPs be enshrined in the NDSIS access process. This will improve outcomes for patients and contribute to the long-term sustainability of the NDIS.

Yours sincerely, Dr Michaela Baulderstone General Practitioner