CEO Update: Guest Blog - Getting NDIS transition right

Speaking frankly...

Mental Health Australia CEO Frank Quinlan is currently on leave and has invited colleagues to provide a guest blog each week. This week’s guest blog comes from Mental Health Australia Director of Policy and Projects and acting Deputy CEO, Josh Fear.

Getting NDIS transition right

The current transition period is unique in the life of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Never again will such large numbers of people be required to move into the Scheme in such a short period of time. Difficulties were expected, given the numbers of people involved and the complexity of the task at hand. However, people with severe mental illness have been seriously impacted by these implementation issues. This is unacceptable and cannot be allowed to continue.

The NDIA is currently being judged on volume, on time and on budget. The frequently cited estimate of 64,000 participants with psychosocial disability appears to have become a target. In the rush to meet both time and volume commitments outlined in bilateral agreements, as the outgoing CEO of the NDIS recently conceded, insufficient attention appears to have been paid to quality. The timetable and limited resources are dictating process, rather than the other way around. Processes that are ill-suited to people with psychosocial disability are compromising outcomes for individuals. Consequently, the vision of the Scheme and public confidence in its effectiveness are being undermined.

One of the assumptions in the design of the NDIS is that people with disability will actively seek to participate in the NDIS. In reality, it can often take community mental health service providers months to win the trust and confidence of people with psychosocial disability, and then for those people to agree to, and engage with, the planning process to then use psychosocial supports. This psychosocial support is not currently funded by the NDIS, is not part of the Information, Linkages and Capacity Building initiative, and Local Area Coordinators are yet to prove themselves capable of providing the specialist outreach services required.

The Productivity Commission flagged the prospect of a specialist gateway for people with psychosocial disability:

While a specialist gateway provides no guarantee of improved outcomes, it is something that could be explored if wider reforms to the planning process do not result in better engagement with the Scheme for people with psychosocial disability.

While the NDIA’s current efforts to improve the participant and provider experience are a welcome acknowledgement of widespread implementation problems, and may prove in time to make a difference to the experience of people with psychosocial disability in relation to a range of administrative issues, in reality the same structural barriers will remain, preventing this cohort from accessing the Scheme in ways which are responsive to their needs. Without addressing these structures it is inevitable the wider reforms will not result in better engagement with the Scheme for people with psychosocial disability.

On past evidence, however, it will be difficult to tell whether the reforms are working for people with psychosocial disability unless we define in advance what success looks like, with criteria designed with their specific needs in mind, and monitor those criteria objectively and report on them publicly.

The development of a psychosocial gateway should commence in tandem with the NDIA’s reforms to the wider planning process. Early work on the key design features of a psychosocial gateway should be done with consumers and carers, providers and peak advocacy organisations. This work should include the development of metrics in advance, so we can make an objective and transparent assessment regarding whether current reforms to the participant pathway are meeting the needs of people with psychosocial disability, or whether indeed a specialist gateway is required.

We are all striving for a successful NDIS. But success must be measured by how well it supports people with disability – not how well it serves governments.

Josh Fear
Director, Policy and Projects
Acting Deputy CEO

NDIS Provider Benchmarking

The National Disability Insurance Agency is collaborating with disability support providers to build a NDIS provider benchmarking function.

Mental Health Australia encourages its members to support this benchmarking function by:

participating in benchmarking surveys (contributing data via completing the surveys, and receiving customised reports in return)
helping the NDIA to refine and manage the process of collecting and sharing data over time, so that the benchmarking database meets the information needs of the sector.

Through voluntarily participating in this process providers will receive customised reports gauging their performance against peers. Benchmarking will also help the sector as a whole by generating data to give governments a clear picture of what is happening.

Ablensight (an independent Survey Manager) is currently embarking on a large pilot survey collection. Some NDIS registered psychosocial disability providers may have already received an invitation to participate.

You can read more background information about the benchmarking project here.

The first round of data collection will begin in the very near future, and we hope it will include a range of psychosocial disability providers. Additional information, including ways to participate in the survey, will be distributed soon.

R U OK? convoy continues past Government House in Canberra

Congratulations to the entire team of staff and volunteers on the R U OK? Conversation Convoy who rolled through Canberra with an afternoon tea and reception at Government House this week.

Welcomed by Their Excellencies Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd) and Lady Cosgrove, R U OK? CEO Brendan Maher delivered the important message of starting a conversation and continuing that conversation, to around 100 guests including students, corporate supporters and members of the mental health sector.

Find out more about the R U OK? Conversation Convoy at www.ruok.org.au/conversation-convoy

Next Week

On Monday Mental Health Australia CEO, Frank Quinlan will return from leave as well as Director of Consumer and Carer Programs, Kylie Wake.

The Mental Health Australia Board are meeting via teleconference on Wednesday, while Director of Policy and Projects Josh Fear will be attending a NDIS Workshop in Melbourne.

On Friday Frank Quinlan will be in Melbourne for a NDIA CEO Forum.

Meet a Mental Health Australia Member

The National LGBTI Health Alliance

The National LGBTI Health Alliance is the national peak health organisation in Australia for organisations and individuals that provide health-related programs, services and research focused on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex people (LGBTI) and other sexuality, gender, and bodily diverse people and communities.

The National LGBTI Health Alliance recognises that people’s genders, bodies, relationships, and sexualities affect their health and wellbeing in every domain of their life.

Find out more at http://lgbtihealth.org.au/

Facebook www.facebook.com/NationalLGBTIHealthAlliance

Twitter https://twitter.com/lgbtihealth

Become a Member of Mental Health Australia

As the peak body for the mental health sector in Australia, Mental Health Australia is uniquely placed to influence the national debate on mental health issues and achieve our vision of mentally healthy people and communities. Representing more than 100 organisations in the mental health sector, find out more about Membership at the link below.

Parliamentary News

Queensland funding injection for LGBTIQ mental health
ahead of marriage equality vote

Queensland Health is supporting a ‘no-harm’ campaign to protect the mental health of LGBTIQ community members during the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey. Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Cameron Dick said an extra $338,000 in funding would provide assistance for four non-government organisations to manage any unexpected increase in demand for services.

Review into NSW mental health review tribunal begins

NSW Minister for Mental Health Tanya Davies and Attorney General Mark Speakman announced this week the opening of public submissions for the Review into the operation of the Mental Health Review Tribunal (MHRT). To support the Review, being led by the Hon Anthony Whealy QC, a detailed Discussion Paper outlining the current operation of the MHRT has been released.

Workplace the focus of NSW new mental health plan

The serious impact of mental health issues in the workplace will be addressed in a new strategy, being launched this week in front of businesses, academics and non-government organisations (NGOs). Minister for Better Regulation Matt Kean hosted the briefing, which focused on the thousands of NSW workers affected by mental illness each day.

Reminders

Stigma Reduction & Help-Seeking in Australian Classrooms
A Research Report on the batyr@school Program

The prevalence of mental ill health among adolescents is a significant problem; in Australia and around the world. Sadly, suicide is the biggest killer of young people. Just as significant are the large numbers of those suffering who don’t seek help. One of the common reasons for not seeking help is stigma, or fear of negative reactions by others, and it means too many young people are suffering in silence and in isolation.

In 2017, batyr engaged with researchers at Macquarie University to conduct a randomised controlled trial investigating the efficacy of the batyr@school program and found that they reduced stigma in young people and increased intentions to seek help.

Facebook Live with NDIA Deputy CEO - 5 September

NDIA Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Steph Gunn, will appear in a 45 minutes Facebook Live panel discussion hosted by the SA Government DSCI on Tuesday 5 September. If you’re in South Australia, save the date and visit the NDIA Facebook page for a direct link on the day.

NDIS Evaluation - Survey of Disability Support Providers

A consortium led by Flinders University and funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services is evaluating the NDIS. As a part of this evaluation they are looking to hear from disability support providers and their employees; and self-employed providers, all of whom are invited to take part in a large-scale national survey.

The survey will cover workforce issues and the realities of working in the disability support sector and will be distributed to organisations and businesses in hard copy with the option to complete online. Disability support workers will receive an invitation to complete the survey online.

Wellways 19th Annual Bruce Woodcock Memorial Lecture - Wed 11 Oct

The Wellways 19th Annual Bruce Woodcock Memorial Lecture is running during Mental Health Week and the theme is 'Sharing stories, changing lives'. Wellways has a long and valued history of people sharing their experience of mental health issues and disability as a way of creating community awareness and social change.

Wellways are pleased to announce Uncle Jack Charles as the keynote speaker. An inspirational and passionate orator, Jack Charles informs and encourages people to examine aspects of their life and society to seek opportunities for transformation and growth. By sharing his experiences, he has become a valuable mentor and positive role model to others.