The Hon. Faye Lo Po
AM
Minister for Disability Services
Minister for Ageing
Minister for Community Services
Minister for Women
GPO Box 5070
Sydney NSW 1044
Monday, 6th May
2002
Dear Minister,
Re: Personal support
services for people with physical disability in
NSW
On Monday, 8th April,
representatives of 21 disability sector,
non-government agencies met in Sydney to discuss
issues related to personal assistance and
support services for people with physical
disability living in New South Wales.
During the course of the
wide-ranging discussion a consensus
emerged.
- That there is a need
for a thorough re-examination of the full
range of personal assistance support systems
to lead to a new strategic direction; and
- That there is a real
crisis in the current service system placing
people with disability at risk of not being
able to continue to live at home
independently.
We are writing to seek a
meeting to begin to build a collaborative
partnership on these issues between Government,
non-government service providers, representative
organisations of people with disability and
service users. We believe that by working
constructively together we can tackle current
problems and develop new opportunities so that
immediate issues of profound concern can be
addressed as we begin to reformulate a set of
strategic directions for the long-term benefit
of all stakeholders.
As a sector-wide group we
wish to take forward a discussion with you and
Departmental Officers in two distinct but
related areas:
- We feel strongly that
a new strategic framework, based upon
well-established principles, is required to
ensure that people with physical disability
can be supported to live as valued,
participating citizens in the communities of
NSW. We believe that the development of such
a framework requires the establishment of a
Review Panel or Advisory Committee (led by
DADHC) similar to the State-wide PADP
Advisory Committee led by NSW Health. Its
objective would be to reform, re-structure
and modernise personal assistance and support
services in NSW, reporting to you as the
Minster responsible for these matters.
- In addition, we
believe there are more immediate matters
which cannot wait for new strategic
directions. Member organisations believe that
the long waiting list for personal care
services from the Home Care Service, for
assessment for and allocation of self managed
support through the Attendant Care Program
and the significant delays in discharge from
specialist medical facilities and in
processing SAS applications constitute a
crisis. (We
have attached a fact sheet for your
information)
Our wish is to work with
the Government and appropriate Departments to
re-commit all agencies to effecting much needed
change and growth. It is because we wish to work
collaboratively that we seek a meeting with you
and appropriate senior officers to begin to seek
out realisable solutions.
We are strongly of the
opinion that a range of Government interventions
are much needed, immediately.
These include::
- An immediate injection
of sufficient funds (on a recurrent basis) to
eradicate the current waiting list for the
HCS 'virtual pool'.
- An immediate injection
of sufficient funds (on a recurrent basis) to
eradicate the waiting list of applicants to
the Attendant Care Programme.
- Urgent action by
funding and service provider agencies to
resolve the dispute about costs and charges
relating to the Attendant Care Programme so
that the 48 people allocated funds in
November 2001 and 12 people allocated funds
in December 2001 can use those funds to live
at home, as they have been assessed and wish
to do.
- Additional funds,
reorganisation of existing funds and better
management of current resources to develop,
extend, improve and replicate best practice
in the Home Care Service of NSW, consistently
across the State.
I have taken the
opportunity to send a copy of this letter
directly to Ms Margaret Allison, Director
General of DADHC.
I look forward to
receiving your reply soon and hope that you will
be able to meet with us before the end of
May.
Yours sincerely,
John Moxon
PDCN President
(on behalf of the agencies listed)
