Disability Workforce Research Articles

Psychological flexibility, professional quality of life and psychological adjustment in workers in the disability sector

The capacity of the disability workforce to show resilience to burnout and secondary trauma underwrites their ability to provide high quality and compassionate services to people with disabilities. This study explored predictors of professional quality of life (burnout, secondary traumatic symptoms, compassion satisfaction) and psychological adjustment (depressive, anxious and stress symptoms) in workers in the disability sector. A total of 134 workers from the disability sector completed an online survey in Australia in 2019. The impact of the predictor variables including three aspects of psychological flexibility (experiential avoidance, mindfulness, and meaningful work), as well as compassion and workplace context on professional quality of life and psychological adjustment were tested in a series of multiple regressions. All the models tested were significant, accounting for 66% of the variance in burnout, 38% of the variance in secondary traumatic symptoms, and 57% of the variance in compassion satisfaction, along with 50% of the variance in depressive symptoms, 25% of the variance in anxiety and 32% of the variance in stress. Shared variance was important in all models. Experiential avoidance was particularly important to understanding psychological adjustment. This study suggests that experiential avoidance, mindfulness, meaningful work, workplace context and compassion for others are all central to understanding burnout, secondary traumatic symptoms, compassion satisfaction and psychological adjustment in workers in the disability sector.

Vocational Calling, Meaningful Work, and Job Satisfaction Among Disability Services Providers

Abstract Recruiting and retaining a strong disability workforce remains an enduring concern in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities. Yet little attention has focused on the sense of calling that disability service providers have to this important work and its relationships to their job satisfaction. We surveyed 269 disability service providers to examine whether they (a) perceive a calling in their life, (b) are living out that calling in their current work, (c) find meaning in their career, and (d) experience job satisfaction. The experience of both having and living out one’s calling in their current work was especially prominent among participants. Likewise, most providers indicated they drew considerable meaning and purpose from their work. Perceiving a calling contributed to higher job satisfaction through living out one’s calling and finding meaning in one’s work. Some variations in ratings were associated with personal demographics (i.e., sex, years of experience). These findings provide new insights into what might draw disability service providers into this work or sustain their commitment amidst challenging and changing working conditions. We highlight areas for research and practice aimed at place of calling within efforts to strengthening recruitment and retention.

Inclusion of people with disability (PWD) in the tourism workforce: a critical discourse analysis of policies and plans

Purpose This paper aims to critically examine the discourse on the disability workforce in Australian tourism policy and planning documents. Design/methodology/approach This research draws on a database of 490 Australian tourism policy and planning documents, across national, state, regional and local levels of governments, destination management organisations and peak industry bodies, to systematically examine the issues pertaining to disability workforce over the ten-year policy cycle (2013–2023), through critical discourse analysis. Findings Analysis revealed 20 of the existing 490 documents had mentions of the inclusion of people with disability (PWD) in the tourism workforce. Through critical discourse analysis, the nuances of political attitudes are evident. Tourism policies tend to exert a cautious approach towards the inclusion of PWD employment. PWD do not have a strong voice when it comes to the formation of tourism policy, especially not as members of the tourism workforce. Practical implications This research underscores an emerging call for the government’s commitment to considering the underrepresented social group of PWD in the tourism workforce. By shedding light on critical discourse analysis of the disability workforce, tourism scholars and practitioners understand the current challenges and explore opportunities to implement tangible actions for an inclusive work environment for all. Originality/value The research is novel and innovative as it critically examines the discourse of the disability workforce in the tourism sector through an institutional theory perspective. The limited emphasis of government policies on the disability workforce may result in missed opportunities to encourage meaningful employment engagement of PWD in tourism organisations. Consequently, this research contributes a tripartite model of policy recommendations that explicitly articulates the mechanisms for change that are tailored to tourism workforce and advocates for the active voices of PWD community in the policy formation process.

Factors impacting clinical data and documentation quality in Australian aged care and disability services: a user-centred perspective

BackgroundResearch has highlighted a need to improve the quality of clinical documentation and data within aged care and disability services in Australia to support improved regulatory reporting and ensure quality and safety of services. However, the specific causes of data quality issues within aged care and disability services and solutions for optimisation are not well understood.ObjectivesThis study explored aged care and disability workforce (referred to as ‘data-users’) experiences and perceived root causes of clinical data quality issues at a large aged care and disability services provider in Western Australia, to inform optimisation solutions.MethodsA purposive sample of n = 135 aged care and disability staff (including community-based and residential-based) in clinical, care, administrative and/or management roles participated in semi-structured interviews and web-based surveys. Data were analysed using an inductive thematic analysis method, where themes and subthemes were derived.ResultsEight overarching causes of data and documentation quality issues were identified: (1) staff-related challenges, (2) education and training, (3) external barriers, (4) operational guidelines and procedures, (5) organisational practices and culture, (6) technological infrastructure, (7) systems design limitations, and (8) systems configuration-related challenges.ConclusionThe quality of clinical data and documentation within aged care and disability services is influenced by a complex interplay of internal and external factors. Coordinated and collaborative effort is required between service providers and the wider sector to identify behavioural and technical optimisation solutions to support safe and high-quality care and improved regulatory reporting.

Relationship of business practices and characteristics to supervisors’ perceived effectiveness of disability recruitment

BACKGROUND: Employers are increasingly interested in the inclusion of employees with disabilities in the workplace. To be inclusive, employers need effective strategies for recruiting people with disabilities (PWD) that supervisors can endorse, as they are ultimately accountable for the success of all employees that they supervise, including people with disabilities. To date, little research has focused on effective practices for recruiting people with disabilities or the supervisors’ perspectives on successful disability recruitment practices. OBJECTIVE: This study presents results from the 2017 Kessler Foundation National Employment and Disability Survey-Supervisor Perspectives (KFNEDS-SP) that utilized a novel approach to investigating employer organizational characteristics and practices related to the recruitment of PWD. METHODS: The KFNEDS-SP is a web-based survey that used standard, replicable survey methods to collect data from a Qualtrics business-to-business panel of supervisors at U.S. organizations. Respondents included 6,530 supervisors ages 18 and older from private, nonprofit, and governmental organizations across industries. RESULTS: The results show that several organizational characteristics and practices are significantly associated with supervisor perceived effectiveness of disability recruitment processes. The degree of effort put forth to recruit people with disabilities, commitment from upper management in hiring and accommodating employees with disabilities, training hiring managers in accessible recruitment and interview practices for people with disabilities were all positively related to supervisors’ perceived effectiveness of their organizations’ disability recruitment processes. However, organizations that put a lot of effort into recruiting for diversity or had diversity hiring goals were less likely to be perceived by supervisors to have effective disability recruitment processes. CONCLUSION: Supervisors are at the center of an organization’s effort to include people with disabilities in the workplace and, as such, are good barometers of what works and does not work to support the recruitment, hiring and onboarding of people with disabilities. The results of this study point to several organizational characteristics and practices that individually and together are likely to support efforts to include people with disabilities in the workplace. Disability workforce intermediaries can use these findings to assist businesses successfully include people with disabilities in their workforce.

Disability workforce and the NDIS planning process in regional, rural and remote regions of Australia: Scoping review.

The Australian geographically rural and remote disability workforce has historically demonstrated difficulties to keep up with the demand for quality services and supports for people with disability. In 2013, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was launched to provide individualised disability support packages to meet people's needs. To receive funding, people with disability are required to develop a NDIS plan. That plan is then funded by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), the government agency responsible for managing the NDIS. Although the NDIS has been operating for almost 10 years, there is limited research into the planning experiences of the workforce in regional, rural and remote regions of Australia. This review aims to ascertain the level of scholarly investigation into workers' experiences of NDIS planning. Research publication databases were searched using a specific search string to identify publications that included reference to the workforce's experiences of the NDIS planning process in regional, rural and remote regions of Australia. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was adopted to appraise the quality of the research publications. Research publications that focused on those working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were also appraised using the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Quality Appraisal Tool developed by the Centre for Excellence in Aboriginal Chronic Disease Knowledge Translation and Exchange. A thematic synthesis of the publications was undertaken to ascertain disability and health workforce experiences of the NDIS planning process. Seven papers met the selection criteria. Two papers were policy reviews and reported the improvements of the NDIS planning process since its inception. These studies reported four reoccurring themes: (1) cultural/socioeconomic and geographical factors; (2) administrative burden and bureaucracy; (3) values, culture and geography; and (4) burden on allied health workers. The NDIS planning process has developed and progressed since its rollout in 2013. There are limited research papers available that describe the workforce's experience of the planning process in regional, rural and remote regions. More research in this area is needed to identify the experiences of the disability workforce in relation to the NDIS planning process.

Allied health workforce development for participant-led services: structures for student placements in the National Disability Insurance Scheme

BackgroundHealth, disability, and community services are increasingly transitioning from government-led to participant-led funding models, which intend to increase choice and control for service users. Allied health practitioners, who provide many frontline services within the resultant marketised environment, must adjust their knowledge and skills to meet participants’ expectations. However, future workforce strategies to address allied health student capabilities to provide these services have received limited attention. This study explored shifting understandings and practices related to allied health student placements during the implementation of a participant-led funding model within the Australian disability sector: the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).MethodsData for this study came from a two-year disability workforce project exploring allied health placements. Service providers, participants, university representatives, disability advocates and students participated in 48 interviews and two focus groups to provide perspectives on allied health workforce and student placements. The findings result from secondary deductive analysis undertaken following project completion that used Gidden’s (1984) Structuration Theory as a conceptual lens to identify structures and actions related to the marketised service environment that influenced how allied health student placements were undertaken.ResultsThe findings were organised using two Structuration concepts: knowledgeability, and duality of structure. These described how service providers, supervisors and students understood, legitimised and prioritised placement activities, and how these structures influenced and were influenced by the actions of stakeholders across NDIS settings, contexts and time. Initially, existing placement structures were not compatible with new structures emerging in the disrupted NDIS service environment. However, over time, and responding to new knowledgeability of service providers, supervisors and students, placement structures were identified, monitored and adjusted to reflect perspectives of all stakeholders.ConclusionsParticipant-led funding invoked structural changes in disability service provision that transformed how stakeholders understood placements and the role of students in service provision. Whilst there were new opportunities for placement, tensions were identified in how learning activities can be enacted within a marketised system in which resources are aligned to participant needs, and structures for workforce development and learning activities are less visible. Further conceptualisation of how student learning and workforce development activities can fit with contemporary funding models is necessary to meet participant, service provider and student needs.

Creating a trauma informed intellectual disability workforce in Ayrshire and Arran

The Scottish Government has pledged to make the entire Scottish Workforce ‘trauma informed’ and is working in collaboration with NHS Education Scotland (NES) to support the implementation of this vision.With initial funding from NES and subsequent funding support from the Ayrshire & Arran Health and Social Care Partnerships’ Mental Health Innovation Fund, training has been developed and delivered at the trauma informed, trauma skilled and trauma enhanced practice levels (NES, 2019) across Ayrshire and Arran. The training has been created for staff working within services for people with intellectual disabilities.This article describes the process, feedback, challenges and succession plans for creating a trauma informed intellectual disability workforce across Ayrshire and Arran.Easy read summaryThe Scottish Government wants to make sure that everyone knows how to help people who have experienced psychological trauma.We know that people with an Intellectual Disability are more likely to have had traumatic experiences, such as physical, emotional or sexual abuse, during their lives.NHS Ayrshire and Arran have created and delivered training packages about how best to support people with an Intellectual Disability who have experienced trauma in their livesStaff in services for people with an Intellectual Disability have been given this training. Everyone who has attended has been very positive about it. We hope that more people working across Scotland will be trained in the same way as staff in Ayrshire.

Health Workforce Planning: an urgent need to link islands of expertise

This article provides a snapshot of the legislative framework for, and ministries and agencies involved in or with influence over, theeducation of the health and disability workforce, including examples of disconnection between the wider health and education sectors.Particular challenges occur between health professional regulators, education providers and clinical (placement) providers because their respective areas of expertise tend to be siloed, thus reducing the capacity for a coordinated and holistic perspective. Four potential ‘bridges’ for linking these ‘islands’ of expertise are suggested. The current period of institutional reforms in the health and education sectors presents an opportunity to refine the structures and systems for workforce education and planning, thereby facilitating a more flexible, responsive and resilient workforce which is better equipped to engage with, and improve outcomes for, the wider community.

(Under)valuing lived experience in the disability workforce: A snapshot of Australian job recruitment

AbstractThe Australian disability workforce has grown, and there is compelling evidence that peer work has a number of valuable impacts. Despite these apparent opportunities, there continue to be high levels of unemployment among people with disability and failure to draw on the assets of people with disability in Australian workplaces. To understand these ostensible missed opportunities, this study examined the ways in which lived experience was described as an asset in disability workforce recruitment. Advertisements for positions in New South Wales, Australia, that referred to lived experience or peer work and disability were collected over a 3‐month period. Through a process of content analysis, we found that there were more employment opportunities for people with lived experience of mental illness than for other types of disability. Community engagement was a key function, and peer workers were described as complementary to professionals. Recruitment processes for lived experience jobs were not necessarily accessible. We recommend systemic reforms to facilitate recognition of lived experience as a valuable criterion for disability sector employment and to harness the benefits of a disability peer workforce.

“They treat you like a person, they ask you what you want”: a grounded theory study of quality paid disability support for adults with acquired neurological disability

Purpose Adults with acquired neurological disability often require paid disability support to live an ordinary life. However, little is known about what facilitates quality support. This study aims to explore the lived experience of people with acquired neurological disability to develop an understanding of the factors that influence the quality of support. Methods Guided by constructivist grounded theory, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 12 adults with acquired neurological disability. Data analysis followed an iterative process to develop themes and subthemes and explore relations between themes to build a model of quality support. Results Nine key factors emerged in the dyadic space, with the support worker recognising the person as an individual as foundational to quality support. Beyond the dyadic space, three broader contextual factors were identified as influential on the quality of support by mechanism of facilitating or constraining the person with disability’s choice. Finally, the provision of quality support was characterised by the person feeling in control. Conclusions Findings support the rights of people with disability to quality, individualised support, and a need for interventions to better prepare the disability workforce to deliver support in line with the needs and preferences of people with acquired neurological disability. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION To provide quality support, disability support workers need to recognise the person with disability as an individual and the expert in their support needs and preferences. The quality of paid disability support is primarily determined by the way the person with disability and support worker work together in the dyadic space. Ensuring people with acquired neurological disability have authentic choice over their support arrangements and daily living is critical to facilitate quality support, and in turn help the person with disability to feel in control.

The Future of Disability Research in Australia: Protocol for a Multiphase Research Agenda–Setting Study

BackgroundFor people with disabilities to live a good life, it is essential that funded research in health and social care addresses their interests, meets their needs, and fills gaps in our understanding of the impact that services, systems, and policies may have on them. Decisions about research funding should be based on an understanding of the research priorities of people with disabilities, their supporters and allies, disability researchers, service providers, and policy makers working in the field.ObjectiveThe aim of this protocol is to describe the research design and methods of a large-scale, disability research agenda–setting exercise conducted in 2021 in Australia.MethodsThe research agenda–setting exercise involves 3 integrated phases of work. In the first phase, a previous audit of disability research in Australia is updated to understand previous research and continuing gaps in the research. Building on this, the second phase involves consultation with stakeholders—people with disabilities and their supporters and family members, the disability workforce, and people working within services and connected sectors (eg, aging, employment, education, and housing), academia, and public policy. Data for the second phase will be gathered as follows: a national web-based survey; a consultation process undertaken through the government and nongovernment sector; and targeted consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, children with disabilities and their families, people with cognitive disability, and people with complex communication needs. The third phase involves a web-based survey to develop a research agenda based on the outcomes of all phases.ResultsWe have started working on 2 parts of the research prioritization exercise. Through the research-mapping exercise we identified 1241 journal articles and book chapters (referred to as research papers) and 225 publicly available reports (referred to as research reports) produced over the 2018-2020 period. Data collection for the national survey has also been completed. We received 973 fully completed responses to the survey. Analysis of these data is currently underway.ConclusionsThis multi-method research agenda–setting study will be the first to provide an indication of the areas of health and social research that people across the Australian disability community consider should be prioritized in disability research funding decisions. Project results from all phases will be made publicly available through reports, open-access journal publications, and Easy Read documents.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/31126

Retention of the Aboriginal Health, Ageing, and Disability Workforce: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study.

BackgroundDespite a plethora of research into Aboriginal employment and recruitment, the extent and nature of the retention of frontline Aboriginal people in health, ageing, and disability workforces are currently unknown. In this application, frontline service delivery is defined as Aboriginal people who are paid employees in the health, ageing, and disability service sectors in roles that involve direct client, participant, or patient contact. There is a need to identify the factors that inhibit (push) and promote (pull) staff retention or departure of this workforce from the sectors. This study will provide additional insight about this topic.ObjectiveThe objective of this project is to uncover the factors that influence the retention of frontline Aboriginal workers in the health, ageing, and disability workforces in New South Wales (NSW) who do not have university qualifications. The aim of the proposed project aims to discover the push and pull factors for the retention of the frontline Aboriginal workforce in the health, ageing, and disability sectors in NSW in relation to their role, employment, and community and design evidence-based strategies for retaining the Aboriginal frontline workforce in the health, ageing, and disability sectors in NSW.MethodsThe proposed research will use a mixed methods approach, collecting both quantitative and qualitative data via surveys and interviews to capture and represent the voices and perspectives of Aboriginal people in a way that the participants chose.ResultsIndigenous research methodologies are a growing field in Aboriginal health research in Australia. A key strength of this study is that it is led by Aboriginal scholars and Aboriginal controlled organizations that apply an Indigenous methodological framework throughout the research process.ConclusionsThis study uses a mixed methods design. The survey and interview questions and model were developed in partnership with Aboriginal health, ageing, and disability service workers rather than relying only on research publications on the workforce, government policies, and human resources strategies. This design places a strong emphasis on generalizable findings together with an inductive approach that explores employers and workers’ lived experience of the Aboriginal health workforce in NSW. Excluding workers who have graduated from university places a strong focus on the workforce who have obtained either school or Technical and Further Education or registered training organizations qualifications. Data collection was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, and results will include the unique experiences of Aboriginal workers and employers delivering services in an extremely challenging organizational, community, and personal context.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)PRR1-10.2196/25261

Post-diagnosis young-onset dementia care in the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Post-diagnosis service delivery for young-onset dementia (with onset prior to 65 years) recently moved to the disability system in an attempt to address systemic barriers to best practice in aged care. The objective of this study was to examine experiences and satisfaction with disability services so far among people with young-onset dementia and their care partners and identify strategies for service and system improvement. The 151 participating Australians living with young-onset dementia or providing informal care to a person with young-onset dementia were recruited via social media, advocacy bodies and specialist medical clinics. A cross-sectional online survey asked participants to provide a timeline of their interactions with the disability system so far and rate their satisfaction with the disability system, aged care and disability services. Participants reported a mean age at symptom onset of 55 years. In all, 53% were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and 25% were diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. Sixty percent had received an approved plan from the National Disability Insurance Scheme, although 3% were rejected. More than 27% waited longer than 6 months to receive their plan, and half waited at least a month post-approval to access services. Less than 30% agreed that the National Disability Insurance Scheme understands dementia, and fewer than half felt that the process of accessing National Disability Insurance Scheme funding is easy and fast enough. Nonetheless, respondents remained overwhelmingly in favour of young-onset dementia services remaining in the disability system rather than in aged care. While people with young-onset dementia and their care partners strongly agree with their inclusion in the National Disability Insurance Scheme, a relatively low level of experience with dementia in the disability workforce and a lack of integration with the healthcare and aged care systems continue to create important barriers for accessing the services they need.

Rural disability workforce perspective on effective inter-disciplinary training-A qualitative pilot study.

Inter-professional education is a growing area of importance that enables training of health care professionals and students to develop skills in collaborative clinical practice, a critical aspect of disability care. However, research is limited on appropriate on-site inter-professional training for the rural and remote disability workforce. This paper aims to explore the features of an effective inter-professional training approach for rural disability workforce. Riverland, South Australia. Clinical educators, allied health professionals, health and service providers and students. A qualitative-explorative research design, involving focus group discussion and a thematic analysis method were employed in this study. Participants of the focus group discussion completed a capacity building training program centred on inter-professional education, cultural-safety and the National Disability Insurance Scheme. National Disability Services Social Impact Measurement Tool was used to evaluate and explore the features of effective inter-professional training program for existing and emerging disability workforce in rural regions. Four themes emerged from data analysis: inter-professional education focus; structured inter-professional training; building collaborative learning environment; and culturally appropriate care practice. Inter-professional supervision was identified as a key enabler for capacity building in an area with limited health workforce. Inter-agency collaboration and professional network were identified as important elements to support disability health workforce retention and the transition from novice to practitioner. Prior knowledge about the needs of persons with disability and empathetic relationships influenced the quality of practice. In situ training programs, which provide real-life rural practice context and harness inter-agency collaboration, improve effectiveness of rural disability workforce readiness for practice.

Experience of an interactive, autism-specific online professional development training and support programme delivered to regional and remote areas

ABSTRACT Training and support will be vital in developing and maintaining a skilled disability workforce in the roll-out of individualised disability funding across Australia. Technology has the potential to deliver training and support that is more accessible and cost-efficient in geographically isolated regions. The current qualitative study explored participants’ experience of an autism-specific webinar and individual online support programme delivered to a range of early childhood staff in regional and remote areas. Researchers used purposive sampling to select and interview 11 participants enrolled in the training and support programme. Rigour and trustworthiness of the data were enhanced using member checking and a data analysis check on 20% of the transcripts. Several categories of responses were identified under three broad themes; impact of the training programme, interaction with technology, and barriers to access. Findings indicated that the programme had a positive impact on access to autism-specific learning and support. The interactive nature of webinars and individual online consultations (synchronous learning) was highly valued; however, barriers including extensive travel and busy caseloads resulted in participants relying on recorded webinars (asynchronous learning). Findings from the current study will inform the development of future training programme at an individual, organisational and policy level.

Roles and Responsibilities of Developmental Educators: Disability Professionals Supporting Australians with Disability

ABSTRACT Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is associated with disability sector growth. A skilled and competent disability professional workforce is needed. Developmental Educators (DEs) are university qualified disability specialists; however, the profession (est.1983) has been under recognised. Due to the multi-skilled nature and broad scope of this profession, there is little evidence associated with the exact roles of DEs once they complete their degree and enter the disability workforce. This paper presents a mixed methods self-assessment investigation of DEs’ current job roles and responsibilities, and DEs’ perceptions of the understanding of their profession. Data were gathered from DEs (N = 121) using an online survey. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. DEs reported working with people with disabilities across the lifespan in various settings including: employment, accommodation, recreation, education, positive behaviour support, and skill development. Though there were widespread perceptions from DEs that their profession was under recognised, many DEs reported being employed prior to or immediately after graduation from their degree. The next step for this research is to investigate the views and perceptions of people with disabilities and their family members who receive service and support from DEs.

An exploration of the practice, policy and legislative issues of the specialist area of nursing people with intellectual disability: A scoping review.

The specialist field of intellectual disability nursing has been subjected to a number of changes since the move towards deinstitutionalisation from the 1970s. Government policies sought to change the nature of the disability workforce from what was labelled as a medicalised approach, towards a more socially oriented model of support. Decades on however, many nurses who specialise in the care of people with intellectual disability are still employed. In Australia, the advent of the National Disability Insurance Scheme offers an apt moment to reflect upon these decades of specialised nursing care as the context of this nursing care will continue to evolve. A review of the published literature was conducted to explore what has shaped the field in the past and how this might inform the future of this speciality area under new policy and service contexts. People with intellectual disability have specific health and support needs that require a specialised workforce. Specialist nurses continue to be needed for people with intellectual disability.

Integrated Care for NDIS Participants with Complex Needs

This presentation reviews the results of five recent Australian studies we have been involved with addressing the question of health and economic outcomes and the optimal model of service for this population. Through these studies the authors propose an integrated model of care and are developing a service for roll out with the NDIS to adress these critical issues. Health professionals in hospitals are poorly prepared to work effectively with individuals with disability who present with health needs. Their primary focus on acute care means there is a lesser degree of experience and familiarity with the disability support needs of patients. Some of the consequences of this poor understanding include communication difficulties leading to misdiagnosis, poor access to services, variable treatment outcomes and negative quality of life for individuals. Increased costs for the health system can also result from poor interactions with health professionals and increased use of health resources. The use of Integrated Care Principles assures the best possible clinical outcomes for this population. Nonetheless these priciples are rarely utilised and these individuals fall in the chasm between disabiltiy services and health services. Integrated Care involves partnering with a patient’s service provider, primary care provider, specialists, and both private and public hospitals as well as dental, allied health and disability care providers to enable disability and health workers to continue providing support to patients with disability alongside hospital healthcare professionals. This model promises to deliver the following benefits Attending to the patient’s disability needs supports his/her health improvement and recovery while in hospital. Maintenance of improved health and well being outcomes post discharge from acute care to the community including Improved coordination and delivery of health responses in the acute setting. Improved health outcomes at discharge. Enhanced capacity in the disability sector workforce to manage the complex health needs of individuals in community settings. Improved understanding and management of the health needs of individuals with disability. Improved health service practice for people with complex needs within the acute care setting. Improved inpatient health outcomes. Through input of disability support workers, reduced demand on scarce health resources to manage disability needs of inpatients. Reduced hospital readmission rates through improved health outcomes at discharge and in community settings. Improved collaboration with Disability Services/NDIS regarding discharge planning, discharge options and transition arrangements to community care for individuals with di Development of a disability workforce with skills and capacity to successfully manage More effective use of health resources to manage the complex health needs of individuals with disability. Reduced hospital readmission rates through improved health outcomes at discharge and in community settings. Identification and implementation of integrated services pathways that maintain established health and well being outcomes in community and residential settings post discharge. Improved management of complex health needs by disability service providers. Improved collaboration and partnership between health and disability/NDIS services including contribution of expertise and services as needed. Shorten hospital length of stay.

Mental health support workers: Profession and professionalization

ABSTRACTThe mental health services in Aotearoa New Zealand, have changed significantly since the late 1990s. Community services have expanded, and the role of the mental health support worker has developed and grown to be a significant presence in the mental health and disability workforce. Despite this, the role is minimally discussed, both in Aotearoa New Zealand, and internationally. In December 2014, Auckland University of Technology (AUT) hosted a panel presentation and discussion at the then Department of Psychotherapy & Counselling Forum. This article coalesces the contributions of the presenters at this panel discussion. Consideration is given to the development of the role and education of support workers, the environment in which they work, and the contemporary mental health support work workforce. Two examples of professionalization, with regard to different forms of registration, contribute to the discussion. A tentative conclusion is made that support workers, their employers, and the people they support would all benefit through some form of professionalization, standardization, and recognition.