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Predicting the future of disability support services: A Service Manager's take
This is a very exciting time to be leading a team, and indeed to be working in the disability sector.
After what feels like much more than 7 years since the scheme commenced the roll-out of the much-awaited (and long overdue) NDIS we are seeing years of work from the grassroots to the highest tiers of Government begin to pay off in big ways, and the momentum in the sector has only grown as a result.
Whilst not everything is perfect and there is still much work to be done to say I’m feeling positive and hopeful would be an understatement. All of the hard work, agitating and advocacy of people with a disability, their families, advocates and service providers is finally delivering tangible change on every level from legislative to technology and it's wonderful to be part of this era of unprecedented change.
Based on what has happened and what is happening right now here are my top 6 future predictions in disability support.
1. The continued growth of home-based support. While certainly accelerated by COVID, there is a wider trend of individuals choosing to move away from group supports, particularly in large facilities.
2. Stronger support relationships: Building on the above trend of increased demand for home-based support there’s a strong push for establishing regular Support Workers and building robust relationships with those support people. Relationship building focuses on customer-first service as the primary goal, and again, in the current COVID climate, provides a much safer option by limiting the number of interactions with different people. The hope is that this more personalised and person-centred support will lead to skill development and opportunities, which as we move out of COVID restrictions, will see participants engaging more in their local communities and building more natural support networks.
3. Technology which enables customer directed choices to book and match with support workers seamlessly has arrived and is here to stay. Optional accessible apps like NNA Direct Support’s Edge Creations places the control in the palm of the hand of the participant providing a simple and easy way of finding and engaging a Support Worker.
4. Customer-first service delivery as a key focus. Providing ways for greater control and choice moving forward, and increased ways to deliver that choice. This incorporates increased quality and safeguarding, ensuring that people purchasing supports have ways to confirm they are receiving the supports they are paying for, as well as independent checks to ensure providers are delivering quality supports. This is one space to definitely watch!
5. Greater NDIS plan flexibility. In the wake of 2019’s Tune Review which found elements of the NDIS Act were far too rigid, a raft of changes were proposed to be adopted including, more information for participants to support how to engage with the NDIS (like applying to the NDIS and accessing funds), and increasing transparency and limiting wait times on NDIA decisions. Importantly, there are already plans to offer greater flexibility around how participants can spend the funds in plans, with a commitment to make Core and Capacity Building funds flexible. This would really open up the ability for participants to get the supports they need when they need them. Again, more to come here, so stay tuned.
6. Annual health reviews. Australians with disability were found to be three times more likely to delay seeing or not see a specialist because of cost, while two in five had difficulty physically accessing medical facilities and one in six experienced discriminations by health staff. Health is important because it enables a person to have a good life and maximise life expectancy. However, poor health or lack of access to healthcare makes it more difficult for other rights to be realised.
With NDIS participants wielding more control over how core funds are utilised, services such as NNA Direct Support’s NDIS nursing services can become proactive services which provide preventive supports and care planning, and therefore reduce, rather than increase support and increase participant’s overall wellbeing. This is a prediction I hope we see realised sooner rather than later.
Introducing our Manager of Nursing Services, Kelly!
Introducing our Business Development Consultant, Fiona!
Learn about the Importance of Incident Reporting
Introducing our Service Coordinator, Teressa! Teressa is located in Shellharbour and joined us at the end of 2022 in November. She brings with her 20 years of customer service experience. Get to know a bit more about her below! What do you see as the biggest opportunity for disability support providers? The biggest opportunity for our NDIS participants is that they now have more choice and control over how their support are delivered so they can achieve their goals. Fun facts about you: Love to spend time with the Grandkids Travelling and meeting new people/cultures Great listener I have 4 boys and 2 grandsons that still are all at home, so need my girl time with friends What are you most excited about for in 2023? I love meeting new people, so starting at NNA has given me the opportunity to do just that. In 2023, I am hoping that I can get more involved with our participants.
We would love to introduce to you our Care Coordinator for Sydney, South Brisbane and Wollongong area, Shae. Shae recently joined us and supports our NDIS participants with any queries. She also ensures all programs are running smoothly and documents, such as Service Agreements, are up to date and are in line with NDIS quality and safety standards. Shae has 13 years of industry experience, and we are very excited to have her on the team. Get to know Shae from our Q&A with her below. What do you see as the biggest opportunity for disability support providers? Being able to assist NDIS participants to live their best life. What do you enjoy most about working in the disability sector? Interacting with participants and supporting them to live their life more independently. What do you enjoy most about working in the disability sector? I think there are a few challenges, but what makes it most difficult are the continual guideline changes as well as the increasing need for high quality staff. Know any fun facts? Australia has over 60 separate wine regions… you’re welcome. What are you most excited about for in 2023? Professionally, learning all there is to know about Specialist Disability Accommodation. Personally, my eldest daughter graduating from university and establishing her career. If you are needing to speak to Shae, send her an email below! shaeleigh@nnadirectsupport.com.au
Recently, we caught up with Joseph Semaan who we previously introduced to you as our Customer Engagement Manager. But we wanted to reintroduce you to him and his new role at NNA Direct Support Service. Joseph is now our Business Development Consultant based in Western Sydney and has been with us since November 2021. He has over 5 years of experience in the disability sector and has been great to have on the team. What do you see as the biggest opportunity for disability support providers? To reach more participants and assist them to live more independently and improve their well-being and quality of life. Biggest challenge for the disability support sector? Firstly, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) not responding quick enough to plan reviews, impacting participants care. Also, the risk of organisations not meeting professional standards to provide model care to participants. What are some fun facts about you? I have a Diploma in Remedial Massage and ran a business for over 12 years. What are you most excited about for in 2023? Professionally, I am excited to continue to expand the business and help as many people as possible. Personally, watching my daughter grow and celebrate her 1 st birthday. If you or someone you know is looking for support in Sydney, please get in touch with Joseph on LinkedIn here .
Building strong patient relationships as a Community Nurse with NNA Direct Support Service
Accessible Activities in Sydney
Disability Care Plans. What are they and why are they so important
Getting the right match between a support worker and a participant can be tricky. Perhaps this is the reason why many disability support providers don’t give their customers much of a choice (or a very limited one at best) when it comes to their support workers. Here at NNA Direct Support Service, we see the positive impact well-matched support makes in the quality of care. That’s why we go the extra mile when it comes to finding the right person, not only for the job, but so they really “get” our individual customers. How we make the right match When we have a new participant in need of support, our engagement team will go and meet with them. This is not only to learn about the participant’s individual support requirements but also to understand them as a person. We go through their interests, hobbies, and cultural background with the aim of finding d a best-fit support worker with similar interests and the skills required. Taking the time to really get to know the people we hire in the onboarding process means rapport is built much easier between the participant and the support worker. In cases where we have unique customer requests, the team will try to think outside the box to find the right match. An example of a successful match “A while back, we had a new participant with down syndrome come onboard with NNA Direct Support Service. She absolutely loves horses. In the hope we could find a support person who shared her interest, we reached out to the local equestrian club in her area. We were able to find a great candidate who had pet horses. At the meet and greet, as soon as the participant heard about the applicant’s common interest and love for horses an instant connection was made. They have been working together for now 12 months.” Dyllan, Workforce Manager at NNA Direct Support Service Maintaining professional standards While finding the right fit between support worker and participant is something we try our best to do, it's important to note this doesn't mean compromising on professional standards. Thanks to our education partner, Australian Health Academy, NNA Direct Support workers are taken through a one-day training session focused on support worker fundamentals, such as: Manual handling Effective communication Meal-time assistance How to deliver personal care Provide participant reports (This depends on where the candidate is at with their skillset) Ensuring support workers are both a great fit, but also have the skills and experience required to deliver professional support provides benefits on both sides; our frontline workers feel confident and supported in the work they do, and our customers receive professional service from people they enjoy working with. A win-win arrangement Getting a good match is a win-win. It creates a better support environment for the participant and makes work more enjoyable and rewarding for support workers. Continuity of care is something we strive for here at NNA Direct Support Service and we know high staff turnover can leave participants feeling uneasy and unsettled. By getting the match right from the start, the participants and their trusted support worker work together to complete daily tasks, embrace common interests, accomplish goals, and importantly, have fun along the way. One of the most rewarding aspects of being a support worker is seeing the positive impact and difference good support can make in another person’s life. Once compatibility is achieved, we do our best here at NNA Direct Support Service to ensure our support workers work the same shifts with the same people each week. Keen to learn more about what life is like as an NNA Direct Support Worker? Take a read of our interview with Clair.