Attachment B

Final Project Brief

Operational Access Review for Psychosocial Disability

Introduction

The intent of this project is to review and, where necessary make recommendations for amendments to, the existing administration arrangements for access into the National Disability Insurance Scheme in relation to psychosocial disability. For the purposes of this project, the term ‘access’ is understood to encompass the pathway spectrum from potential Scheme participants and their families and carers in the community having an awareness and understanding of the potential relevance of the Scheme to themselves, until an access determination has been made and communicated.

Very early indications (from small sample sizes) from the Barwon and Hunter Trial Sites are that people with psychosocial disability who would have been expected to be eligible for participation in the scheme are being found ineligible for the Scheme or for a reasonable number declining to participate. Whilst these numbers are very small, they require exploration to ensure any gaps are identified and effectively addressed.

Scope

The scope of this project will be to:

  • Identify any urgent issues for prioritisation and action
  • Review the existing Standard Operational Procedures and Operational Guidelines. This will include a review of the needs assessment processes and the approach the agency uses to establish evidence in relation to access criteria.
  • Review the existing factsheets, forms, letters, and templates relating to access to the Scheme.
  • Review the language used across the Agency (in addition to above) where it has a bearing on psychosocial disability and access.
  • Review the outreach and engagement processes and capabilities of the Agency in relation to people with psychosocial disability and access.
  • Consider the preliminary findings of the reviews of access and eligibility outcomes being done by DSS and the Victorian Health department in conjunction with the Scheme Actuary in relation to the Section 55 Phase-in results where people have been found either ineligible or declined to become participants in the Hunter and Barwon trial sites.
  • Based on the review of Section 55 Phase-in results, explore the implications of continuity of support requirements for people who do not meet the criteria to be a participant in the scheme.
  • Work with the Mental Health sector to arrive at a shared and clear understanding of the implications of the eligibility criteria (including the concepts of early intervention, permanence/recovery, and episodic ) in relation to a primary condition of psychosocial disability, informed by DPG mainstream principles for mental health and any clarifying documentation regarding eligibility that may be published.
  • Based on these reviews, recommend changes to agency processes to ensure that they better meet the intent of the NDIS Act and that they meet the needs of people with a psychosocial disability.
  • Identify any interdependencies with the LAC optimal model project, Tier 2 project and the planning / assessment process.
  • Identify further opportunities within the Mental Health sector and current providers for capacity building in order to address some of the immediate barriers to access and support needs for people with psychosocial disability, including the roles of their families, carers, peers and other significant people in relation to the access process. This will include the incorporation of the results of the outreach project in Barwon.
  • Identify opportunities to make changes to the existing processes, procedures, forms and language used within the Agency to ensure access processes meet the needs of people with psychosocial disability.
  • Identify the likely expected access rates for people currently supported in community mental health, based on the changes recommended in this review. In addition, any implications for full scheme estimates are to be identified.
  • Provide an Operational Access Review for Psychosocial Disability Report making recommendations for changes to the Agency’s Executive Management Group for approval.
  • Implement these changes or, where possible, identify where these changes are occurring through other projects.
  • Establish processes for ongoing review of access issues for people with a primary condition of psychosocial disability,that enable accurate and ongoing intelligence as the Scheme progresses.

Key Dates

It is anticipated the project will run from November 2014 to July 2015. See attached project plan for deliverables, timeframes and key milestones dates.

Governance

In accordance with Agency arrangements and understandings of co-design, the project director will liaise with the Mental Health Sector Reference Group and key internal stakeholders for input into the design of the project. Several workshops will also be held to inform the project.

Workshop participants

Intended workshop participants will be:

  • Eddie Bartnik, NDIA Strategic Adviser
  • Project Director, NDIA Operational Access Review
  • Corporate Counsel, NDIA Legal
  • Scheme Actuary NDIA
  • Director Access and Planning, NDIA Operations Division
  • 1 NDIATrial site manager
  • Independent Advisory Council members Janet Meagher and Dr Gerry Naughtin
  • 2 people with personal lived experience expertise of psychosocial disability from the National Mental Health Consumer Carer Forum (NMHCCF)
  • 2 people with familial lived experience expertise of psychosocial disability from the NMHCCF
  • Representative from the NDIA Indigenous and Rural Sector Reference Group (TBA by Chair)
  • Any additional identified experts deemed necessary, particularly from the co-occurring drug and alcohol/mental health, criminal justice, remote, homeless, Aboriginal and CALD areas, or any other marginalised and vulnerable groups.
  • Drug and Alcohol Principal Committee nominees, particularly hands-on clinicians
  • Mental Health Australia representative
  • Community Mental Health Australia representative
  • Community Mental Health Australia nominee, ideally from Trial Site
  • Department of Social Services representatives (2)
  • Commonwealth Department of Health
  • Mental Health Commissions representative (1)

Additionally, NDIA Executive Managers will be asked to nominate relevant staff for input into the project as required.

Final signoff for the project’s deliverables will be provided by Eddie Bartnik, NDIA Strategic Adviser, in consultation with Anne Skordis, NDIA General Manager of Scheme Design

Proposed Workplan 2014-2015

Task / Date / Comment
Background research/due diligence / Oct
Draft documentation circulated to project team / Oct
EMG signoff / November25
Urgent issues identified and prioritised for action / November
Workshop participants identified and invited / Dec
Workshop preparation – presentation materials and pre-reading circulated / Dec
Workshop #1 / Late Jan /
  • Reviewing the existing processes, forms, language
  • Understanding existing barriers and gaps
  • Understanding trial site experiences
  • Identifying interdependencies
  • Identifying any quick wins
  • Guidance from group for report recommendations
  • Identify projected access rates for people currently in community mental health programmes for full scheme design – this work is to be fast-tracked and delivered in March

Draft Projected Access Rates report for review and finalisation / Feb /
  • This is in order to meet March budgetary constraints, particularly in relation to estimates of access rates for people currently in community mental health programmes

Interim workshops and consultations / Feb
Workshop #2 / Mid Mar / Working groups to report back to broader group with findings and recommendations
Draft access review report circulated to team / Late March
Feedback incorporated and circulated for finalisation / April
Operational Access Review report to EMG for signoff / April
Implement recommendations / April - July 2015

NDIA Operational Access Review Version 3 1