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Connecting Tasmanian National Disability Insurance Scheme participants with allied health services: challenges and strategies of support coordinators
Citation
Jessup, B and Bridgman, H, Connecting Tasmanian National Disability Insurance Scheme participants with allied health services: challenges and strategies of support coordinators, Research and Practice in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities ISSN 2329-7018 (2021) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2021 Australasian Society for Intellectual Disability
DOI: doi:10.1080/23297018.2021.1969264
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the challenges and
strategies of support coordinators tasked with connecting
National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants with
allied health services in Tasmania, a largely rural and island state
of Australia. Twenty-five registered support coordinators currently
supporting Tasmanian NDIS participants participated in semistructured interviews, with interview data coded and thematically
analysed. Support coordinators unanimously reported difficulties
connecting NDIS participants to allied health services, with a lack
of registered allied health providers and providers with specialist
skills and experience with complex disabilities. Support coordinators reported lengthy waiting lists for NDIS participants and compromised service quality, which in some cases led to a loss of
participant functioning and future funding. Building positive relationships with allied health providers and persistence were perceived as critical to facilitate allied health service access, as was
leaving no stone unturned and looking beyond the island for
allied health services. Support coordinators play a critical role in
connecting NDIS participants to available services through aggressively canvassing local allied health providers, as well as harnessing interstate allied health provider capacity through novel
means. Broad workforce strategies are needed to recruit and
retain allied health professionals to the Tasmanian NDIS registered
provider market. Policy development is also needed to ensure
quality and effective support coordination for NDIS participants.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | disability, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, psychology, rural health workforce, speech pathology |
| Research Division: | Health Sciences |
| Research Group: | Health services and systems |
| Research Field: | Rural and remote health services |
| Objective Division: | Health |
| Objective Group: | Specific population health (excl. Indigenous health) |
| Objective Field: | Rural and remote area health |
| UTAS Author: | Jessup, B (Dr Belinda Jessup) |
| UTAS Author: | Bridgman, H (Dr Heather Bridgman) |
| ID Code: | 146752 |
| Year Published: | 2021 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 1 |
| Deposited By: | UTAS Centre for Rural Health |
| Deposited On: | 2021-09-24 |
| Last Modified: | 2021-10-20 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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