National Disability Insurance Scheme

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Table of Contents

Introduction
General Information
Principal Stakeholders
The Desired Outcome of the Framework
Monitoring and Evaluation of the Framework
Application of Therapeutic Recreation Within the Framework
Conclusion
References

Introduction

The presence of disability has a significant impact on people’s lives. To provide disabled citizens with the required healthcare services, the Australian government introduced the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) controlled by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) (Snow & Donnelly, 2017). The choice of this framework for discussion is defined by its fast spread all over the country as well as the inclusion of all categories of disabled people (Collings et al., 2016). The purpose of this paper is to provide extensive information on NDIS and its operation. It consists of five sections discussing NDIS, its principal stakeholders, expected outcome, monitoring, and application in terms of therapeutic recreation.

General Information

The development of NDIS is conditional upon the existence of specific issues related to the provision of healthcare services to disabled people. They all derive from the same causes connected to the lack of individualization as there used to be no perceived difference between patients regarding the way of acquiring disability (Reddihough et al., 2016). Such a situation resulted in a lack of opportunities for education and employment, isolation, financial disadvantage, and varied support for people with similar conditions (Reddihough et al., 2016). Hence, generalization was not an option for disabled people as they needed another solution.

The Australian government decided to solve these issues by changing disability funding and combining the new principles within the NDIS program. According to them, it will be directed not to agencies but to individuals who are to be provided with the required services (Collings et al., 2016). These services will be available to citizens with a permanent or significant disability and will increase their participation in the community’s life (Snow & Donnelly, 2017). In this way, disabled people will become more independent and satisfied with their lives.

Principal Stakeholders

The introduction of the NDIS program has a significant impact on the lives of principal stakeholders. First of all, it relates to people with disabilities who benefit from a higher degree of control over healthcare services and the support they receive (Reddihough et al., 2016). Their participation in NDIS, in turn, ensures the sustainability of the healthcare system and allows improving the lives of all disabled citizens across the country (Collings et al., 2016). Hence, in the case of this framework, further, development depends solely on the community involvement of this category of people.

Second, families of citizens with disabilities also benefit from NDIS by gaining financial stability. The program allows them to purchase the required equipment for disabled family members such as wheelchairs (Reddihough et al., 2016). Third, healthcare workers and NDIS support planners report experiencing less stress through sharing responsibilities regarding the provision of services to people with disabilities (Collings et al., 2016). All in all, NDIS seems to be a good option allowing its stakeholders to solve the problems caused by generalization.

The Desired Outcome of the Framework

The implementation of the NDIS program in all of the Australian communities aims at leading to a specific outcome improving the lives of principal stakeholders. In general, the new funding scheme is expected to give more control over one’s disability with the help of an individualized approach providing the required degree of support (Collings et al., 2016). NDIS intends to thereby ensure the flexibility of the healthcare system by creating a more extensive range of options related to the choice of healthcare providers and services (Reddihough et al., 2016). However, not only people with disabilities and their families but also carers would benefit from the framework in the long run.

The implementation of NDIS has a positive effect on healthcare providers. It has been proved that the medical personnel participating in the NDIS program demonstrated an increase in their quality of life (Snow & Donnelly, 2017). Such an outcome is attributed to better management of healthcare services and distribution of tasks between carers and results in fewer cases of burnout (Snow & Donnelly, 2017). Therefore, nurses will also be able to benefit from the program in the future.

Monitoring and Evaluation of the Framework

NDIS is a relatively new framework, and its proper work is not regulated yet. Its practical implementation started only in 2013, and not all of the Australian communities can use the benefits of the flexible provision of its services (Reddihough et al., 2016). To monitor the results of the program’s participants, it is vital to evaluate the benefits and disadvantages of NDIS in its current state. This task is the sole responsibility of NDIA, which started NDIS (Reddihough et al., 2016). However, the monitoring mechanism is still in its infancy, and the only available information for the assessment of the framework’s efficiency comes from regular surveys of disabled people.

At present, the feedback received from patients and their families allows us to conclude on specific disadvantages of NDIS. They primarily relate to the lack of financial sustainability as disabled people and their parents indicated the inconsistencies in healthcare services provision for people with a similar level of disability (Snow & Donnelly, 2017). This problem is complemented by the difficulty of finding local social workers (Lloyd et al., 2019). Such an outcome might signal the failure of the new framework. However, it can be caused by the inadequate implementation of NDIS in different communities and requires further research. The consideration of the feedback from medical institutions and their personnel would allow having clarity on the emerging issues.

Application of Therapeutic Recreation Within the Framework

One of the principal tasks of the implementation of NDIS is the necessity to increase the participation of people with disabilities in recreational activities. As it is directly connected to their overall inclusion in the social life of the community, the improvements in the area of therapeutic recreation would be a logical outcome of the program’s further spread (Reddihough et al., 2016). It can be achieved mostly through individualized support and personal assistance of the carer that would allow the disabled patient to travel to recreational events. However, the full inclusion of this aspect in NDIS is possible only with the development of social networks throughout the country (Collings et al., 2016). It would also be necessary to consider if this kind of support can be covered by NDIS or if it does not relate to one’s disability.

Conclusion

NDIS seems to be an efficient framework, but in order to substitute the existing scheme of disability funding through agencies, it needs to be improved and spread in all of the Australian communities. In the future, this framework will be capable of eliminating the existing problems of healthcare service provision for disabled citizens and thereby improving the lives of their families and the working conditions of carers. The inclusion of people with disabilities will significantly promote their independence and participation in recreational activities. Thus, NDIS will be a good substitute for the existing funding scheme and a mechanism allowing to increase the inclusion of disabled citizens in the life of communities.

References

Collings, S., Dew, A., & Dowse, L. (2016). Support planning with people with intellectual disability and complex support needs in the Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme. Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, 41(3), 272-276.

Lloyd, J., Moni, K., Cuskelly, M., & Jobling, A. (2019). Engaging with National Disability Insurance Scheme Planning: Perspectives of parents of an adult with intellectual disability. Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, 1-10.

Reddihough, D. S., Meehan, E., Stott, N. S., Delacy, M. J., & Australian Cerebral Palsy Register Group. (2016). The National Disability Insurance Scheme: A time for real change in Australia. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 58, 66-70.

Snow, M., & Donnelly, J. (2017). The National Disability Insurance Scheme: Effects on the quality of life and personal well-being of Australians caring for individuals with an autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Depression & Anxiety, 6(4), 293-297.

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