HaDSCO Connect: July 2012
Disability Access and Inclusion Plan (DAIP)
New ‘Community outreach’ section on the HaDSCO website
Disability Access and Inclusion Plan (DAIP)
The Disability Services Act 1993 (WA) requires all State and Local Government authorities to develop and implement a Disability Access and Inclusion Plan (DAIP) to ensure that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as other people in the community to access services, facilities and information.
HaDSCO has developed a DAIP in recognition that people with disabilities, their families and carers have the same rights to access HaDSCO’s services as any other member of the community. The DAIP identifies means to improve accessibility of both service delivery and employment opportunities.
The issues and strategies included in the DAIP were developed following extensive research regarding contemporary trends and best practice initiatives that promote access and inclusion for people living with a disability.
HaDSCO is committed to the six outcomes of the DAIP as prescribed by the Disability Services Commission:
- People with disabilities have the same opportunities as other people to access the services of, and events organised by, HaDSCO.
- People with disabilities have the same opportunities as other people to access the buildings and facilities at HaDSCO.
- People with disabilities receive information from HaDSCO in a format that will enable them to access the information as readily as other people are able to access it.
- People with disabilities receive the same level and quality of service from HaDSCO staff as other people in the community.
- People with disabilities have the same opportunities as other people to make complaints to HaDSCO.
- People with disabilities have the same opportunities as other people to participate in any public consultation by HaDSCO.
In addition, HaDSCO has added another outcome:
- People with disabilities have the same opportunities as other people to seek employment, professional development and work experience at HaDSCO.
All provisions of this plan apply equally to HaDSCO employees, agents, stakeholders, clients and contractors.
The HaDSCO DAIP was developed with input from an internal Reference Group, in consultation with external stakeholders including health and disability service providers and consumers.
Top five issues
As part of HaDSCO’s commitment to being improvement oriented, the agency is constantly looking into better options for service delivery and to make useful information readily available to customers.
In line with this, the Complaints Operations Team recently identified some common issues in relation to which enquiries are received from customers. In order to provide some preliminary information in response to these commonly raised issues, HaDSCO has created a ‘Top Five Issues’ document.
This document is now accessible on the HaDSCO website under the ‘Frequently asked questions’ section as well as other relevant pages.
New ‘Community outreach’ section on the HaDSCO website
A new ‘Community outreach’ section has been added to the HaDSCO website home page. It includes detailed information on the agency’s various outreach initiatives, which include events, conferences, presentations, meetings and workshops. This section also incorporates a photo gallery displaying some of these activities.
Although a small agency, HaDSCO makes every effort to undertake widespread outreach initiatives and offer tailored community education packages whenever possible.
It is important that service providers and consumers are able to resolve issues effectively and swiftly. HaDSCO’s community outreach activities aim to empower the community to do this, by providing education and training in the prevention and resolution of complaints.
Carers Conference 2012
HaDSCO is pleased to be participating in the WA Carers Conference 2012 to be held from 23-24 August at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre. The agency’s Director, Anne Donaldson, will be addressing the conference attendees on 24 August.
Themed ‘Caring at the Crossroads’, the conference will be showcasing research, practical advice and opportunities to meet with service providers, researchers and other families. It will also provide an opportunity to hear about the latest reforms in disability and mental health in Western Australia.
HaDSCO staff will host an exhibition booth at the conference and will be available to provide information to attendees about the agency and the services available.
The WA Carers Conference 2012 is Western Australia’s principal carers’ event to be highlighted in the calendars of family carers, community services and care-related organisations.
For more information, please visit the conference website.
Aboriginal outreach
In 2009, HaDSCO embarked on a significant project to identify barriers preventing Aboriginal people from accessing HaDSCO’s services. This project involved HaDSCO staff engaging with relevant stakeholders including Aboriginal communities, Aboriginal health and disability service providers and advocate agencies.
A number of outreach opportunities were identified as a result of the project findings, which led to the subsequent development of a dedicated Stakeholder Engagement Strategy.
In line with this strategy, over the last few years, HaDSCO has commenced working on a focused approach to communicate with Aboriginal communities. The key objectives have been to overcome communication barriers and develop a network with Aboriginal communities and health care workers, and to raise awareness of HaDSCO and the services available.
HaDSCO is continuing its efforts to partner with relevant stakeholders to provide information directly into Aboriginal communities in an appropriate and culturally sensitive manner.
HaDSCO is also looking into opportunities to undertake a collaborative outreach project with its national counterparts. Such an undertaking would enable the sharing of ideas, information, expert knowledge and costs; with the added benefit of a nationwide approach to Aboriginal outreach.
Case study
Mr X contacted HaDSCO to make a complaint about an out-of-pocket expense he had incurred from a health service provider. Mr X alleged he had not been made aware that there would be an out-of-pocket expense; he had assumed his private health insurance would cover any gap payments.
The provider’s response was that Mr X had been informed that there would be an out of pocket expense. However, the provider had not been able to give Mr X a detailed quote with the exact amount – this was because each health fund pays different rebates depending on the patient’s level of cover.
HaDSCO’s discussion with the provider made it evident that the current practice procedure could be subject to misinterpretation by patients.
The provider agreed to make it clearer in their documentation that patients need to consult their private health fund for information about rebates and gap payments. Appropriate wording has been included in the provider’s quotes to patients.
The above procedural change has also been extended to, and adapted by, the other 26 specialists who operate within that same practice.
This case study demonstrates how a negative complaint can result in a positive outcome, by taking steps to prevent its recurrence. It also exemplifies HaDSCO’s mission to ‘support the improvement of health and disability service delivery through complaints resolution’.
