Disability in New Zealand
News and Publications
Disability Services Newsletter -
Issue 12 - November 2005
In this issue:
New information system to benefit users
Geraldine’s update
New training framework for home-based support workers
Changes to the Operations Team
Crossing the divide between consumers and Disability Services
Invoice rejections
Feedback
New information system to benefit users
A project that will ensure the Disability Services Directorate (DSD) and NASCs have accurate consistent information about the people who receive support services is under way. Key to this is the development of a nationwide web-based disability information system.
The proposed system will ensure every person’s disability support needs and the support services they require are recorded in the same way, as well as providing details of payments to service providers.
Geraldine Woods, Deputy Director-General, Disability Services Directorate says, ‘Currently the 16 Ministry-funded NASCs use different databases, none of the information is shared, and the databases are focused on describing the services provided with few details captured about people who use disability support services.’
She says much of the information about the purchase of services is still sent to providers and the Ministry’s payment processor HealthPAC on paper, which is labour intensive for all concerned and can impact on accuracy and efficiency.
‘The new system provides a solution to these problems by capturing more accurate and consistent data and transferring it electronically to HealthPAC, which will not only benefit the Ministry but NASCs and providers as well.’
‘It’ll also enable DSD to better monitor its spending on disability support services which is crucial for budget forecasting and planning for service growth,’ says Geraldine.
A stakeholder advisory group has been set up comprising Ministry of Health representatives and NASCs. It is due to meet on 10 November 2005 and will continue to meet during the project.
DSD hopes to award the contract for the new information system by the end of December. The system is planned to go live by the end of 2006.
Geradline’s update
Geraldine Woods
Deputy Director-General, Disability Services Directorate
Focusing on outcomes for DSD service users
The disability support services system has undergone constant change in the last 10 or so years from Regional Health Authority’s in the early 1990s to the Health Funding Authority (HFA). The HFA then merged with the Ministry of Health, with the Health of Older People devolved to DHBs in 2003. That’s left DSD with purchasing support services for mainly younger people with disabilities.
I believe this constant change has made it difficult to enhance the system – but now it’s time to get ahead of the game!
We need to look at what we want the system to deliver for younger people in the next decade. I want people to think of outcomes for DSD service users rather than service delivery.
Our services should support the vision of the New Zealand Disability Strategy, that is, ‘a society that highly values the lives and continually enhances the full participation of disabled people’. This directorate is allocated $800 million a year to deliver what part of that equation?
I think it’s primarily about objectives 7 and 8 of the New Zealand Disability Strategy. I believe that’s about supporting people to achieve an ordinary and good home life. I’ll be putting a proposition to everyone in the sector about this concept and what the indicators of an ordinary and good home life might be in coming months.
New training framework for home-based support workers
A flexible and sustainable training framework designed to boost the number of home-based support workers with foundation-level training is being developed.
Inadequate basic training of workers providing personal care services in the home was highlighted in a DSD-led quality and safety project completed last year.
Planning for the home-based support services (HBSS) support worker training project, which is co-sponsored by the Community Support Services Industry Training Organisation (CSSITO), began in July. The project is expected to last about 18 months. HBSS employers, consumer representatives, the New Zealand Home Health Association, District Health Boards, ACC and union representatives are being consulted.
‘The aim is to establish a training framework that will support workers to complete the entry level National Certificate in Community Support Services registered in December 2004,’ says Project Manager Catherine Maclean.
‘It is designed to be flexible allowing home-based support workers to gain the qualification while maintaining services and not putting pressure on an already stretched sector.
‘In addition to establishing the training framework, the project will also offer training to a sample of home based support staff working for DSD- and District Health Boardfunded HBSS organisations,’ says Catherine.
The development of the framework will be independently evaluated as part of the initiative to establish its effectiveness.
Roadshows for HBSS employers outlining a proposed model for the new national training framework are due to begin later this month.
Changes to the Operations Team
A restructure in the Operations Team has led to Trish Davis being promoted to the new position of National Operations Manager.
Trish was formerly the Manager of Northern Operations dividing her time between the DSD offices in Hamilton and Auckland. She’ll now be working from Wellington as well.
One of her roles will be to provide strategic direction on funding issues relating to the range and quantity of disability support services that are funded by DSD.
Two particular areas that Trish will be focusing on are enhancing national consistency and improving equity of access to services for people.
‘Basically that means a person living in Dunedin should have the same access to disability support services as someone living in Hamilton,’ says Trish.
Meanwhile Rose Hawkins, who is based in Hamilton, has been appointed as Regional Portfolio Manager of Northern Operations, and Mark Powell, who is based in Wellington, has also been appointed to the equivalent position for the Southern team.
Crossing the divide between consumers and Disability Services
Consumers from 18 national disability organisations will meet in Wellington on 21 and 22 November for the first Consumer Consortium. This biannual event will get consumers’ feedback on the directorate’s current and future workplans.
The idea behind the Consumer Consortium is to increase the involvement of disabled people and their families/whanau in the directorate’s activities. This is in line with the objectives of the New Zealand Disability Strategy.
‘The terms of reference for the group are still being finalised but it’s expected the consortium will have valuable input around the services the directorate provides for those under the age of 65,’ says Project Leader Cathy Dymond.
She says the consortium will also have a role in communicating information about DSD’s work to consumers as well as conveying issues back to the directorate from the consumers’ point of view.
Cathy says this information sharing function is a key role for the group.
The disability organisations selected the people to sit on the consortium.
The biannual meetings of the Consortium will be timed to coincide with the directorate’s annual planning cycle. The next meeting is scheduled to take place in March or April next year.
Invoice rejections
The Ministry of Health’s payments agency, HealthPAC, is in the process of making changes to its payments system in an effort to reduce the number of invoices rejected from some disability support service providers.
There have been ongoing problems with invoices from home-based support services resulting in incomplete payments.
‘The reasons behind the invoice problems are varied, but basically if the information supplied from the Needs Assessment Service Co-ordination agency (NASC) to HealthPAC doesn’t match the invoice sent from providers it results in a non or incomplete payment,’ says David Chrisp Business Support Manager.
He says while changes to HealthPAC’s payments system will improve the situation, the long term solution lies with the new national NASC information system currently under development.
In the meantime, he is advising home-based support providers to check all details of their invoice including clients’ NHI numbers, and service start and end dates with the NASC before submitting to HealthPAC.
Christmas payments
HealthPAC will be operating with a small team of staff over the Christmas period from 5pm on 23 December until 8 am on 4 January 2006.
To assist providers with cash flow over this period, HealthPAC will be issuing an advance payment, based on the last invoice payment received before Christmas. When HealthPAC staff return in January they will process the next invoice and offset the advance, before the balance is then credited in the normal payment process.
Feedback
As you’ll be aware this is the first newsletter DSD has produced for several months. We’d like to know what you think about it. Is it too long or too short? What about its content? How often would you like to receive it? Do you have ideas for future issues?
We’re also in the process of updating our web pages on the Ministry of Health’s website www.moh.govt.nz
You can send your feedback to disability@moh.govt.nz
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Disability Services Newsletters: Issue 12 - November 2005 (PDF, 283 kB)
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Ministry of Health publications
Unless otherwise specified, you can obtain copies of all Ministry of Health publications from:
Ministry of Health
C/o Wickliffe Limited
PO Box 932
DUNEDIN
Tel: (04) 496 2277 (Wellington)
Fax: (03) 479 0979 (Dunedin)
Email: moh@wickliffe.co.nz
Ministry of Health publications are also available on our website: www.moh.govt.nz
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