NDIS participants receive individualised budgets of Commonwealth money that they use to purchase services and supports. This is a massive shift from the traditional way in which disability care has been funded.
The personalised community support NSW approach promotes independence, effective communication, better service planning, reduced stress, inclusivity, and diversity. It also builds trust and loyalty between individuals and their supports.
Individualised Care and Empowerment
Valuing people as active participants in their own health and care management is an essential feature of personalised care. This includes identifying what is important to them in their life, the things that are working well, and the areas where they would like to see improvements.
It also involves understanding what empowerment means and how to enable it. Empowerment strategies transform healthcare professionals and patients' interactions, resulting in better care outcomes.
Personalised care also promotes choice and dignity by allowing individuals to prioritize their own needs, lifestyle, and preferences. In addition, involving the individual in creating their own plan ensures that it is comprehensive and aligned with their goals. This is accomplished through a collaborative environment that fosters open communication and shared decision-making. This approach can be a powerful way to reduce social inequality. However, it can be challenging for a wide variety of reasons, and it is imperative to understand the benefits and limitations.
Social Inclusion and Participation
Community participation support aims to empower individuals with disabilities to actively engage in their communities. This is achieved through personalised planning, providing specialised services that are tailored to each individual's needs and aspirations.
Services can include assistance in finding social groups, sports clubs, or cultural organisations that best suit their interests. They can also offer social outings and events, as well as volunteering programs to promote community integration and help individuals build connections and a sense of belonging.
Moreover, community participation support can include specialised medical services such as medication management or coordinating appointments with healthcare professionals. This ensures that health requirements are met safely and effectively, resulting in an improved quality of life.
Healthcare Coordination and Management
Integrated care interventions can reduce the burden on acute health services and improve outcomes for people with complex needs. However, they require a comprehensive approach to understanding the meso and macro context in which they operate.
Care coordination operates at clinical, organisational and administrative levels, and can be delivered through various models.3
An example is the Integrated Chronic Conditions Patient Identification Algorithm (CCPIA), which was implemented in NSW Health as part of the Patient Flow Portal (PFP) and used linked routinely collected clinical and demographic data to identify patients at risk of hospital admissions.
The CCPIA was further enhanced with complexity and vulnerability indicators, and clinicians within SESLHD could also refer individuals who they thought would benefit from ICPCC based on their own knowledge of the person.
HASI Plus provides housing and accommodation support, as well as clinical services, for people with severe mental illness. Individuals receive the support they need from a community managed organisation and work with a care coordinator to develop their own unique housing and support plan.
Behavioral Support and Management
Personalised community support services help individuals with disabilities develop essential skills for living and community participation. These may include training in communication, mobility, self-advocacy, and personal care. In addition, they may provide assistance with planning and managing healthcare needs.
These tailored support services prioritize individuals' interests and preferences, fostering trust, loyalty, and satisfaction. In turn, this fosters better outcomes and quality of life for individuals with disabilities.
Personalisation also allows service providers to allocate resources more efficiently. By focusing on what's most important for each individual, they can address their unique challenges and improve overall outcomes. This also enables them to collaborate with other service providers, resulting in a more cohesive and streamlined support system.
