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Resources
Have you completed the self-assessment tool?
If you have already completed the self-assessment tool, use these resources to implement change for each of the key actions.
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Workforce
- There are local champions, mentors and/or key contacts for improved healthcare for people with intellectual disability within the health service
- Discharge case studies – Discuss ten discharge scenarios based on the experiences of people with an intellectual disability.
- Improving the experience of hospitalisation for people with intellectual disability – Watch Daniel’s story and his experience of hospitalisation and consider some reflective questions.
- Intellectual disability training videos – Watch this video series to understand the care needs of a person with intellectual disability.
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NSW Ministry of Health
- Statewide intellectual disability health service – This services supports and build the capability of the health system to meet the healthcare needs of people with intellectual disability in NSW.
- Statewide intellectual disability mental health hubs – This service helps people with intellectual or developmental disability access appropriate mental health care.
- A senior staff member of the health service leads the coordination of responses to disability issues
- Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare. Intellectual disability actions for clinicians fact sheet - Make reasonable adjustments for a person’s intellectual disability to create an inclusive environment and facilitate meeting the NSQHS Standards.
- Australian Government, Dept of Social Services. Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031: Outcomes Framework - Measure, track and report on outcomes for people with disability.
- NSW Ministry of Health. Responding to Needs of People with Disability during Hospitalisation – Use these guiding principles, including inclusion, person-centred services, accessibility, communication, and reasonable adjustment, to respond to the needs of people with disability.
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National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
- Who is responsible for the supports you need? Health – Understand the responsibilities of and supports from the health system
- Services if you’re in hospital - Consider these case studies exploring NDIS supports in hospital.
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Communication
- All staff (including clerical and clinical staff) are provided with disability awareness training, including a values and attitudes component
- Intellectual disability training videos – Watch this video series to understand the care needs of a person with intellectual disability.
- Say less show more – Explain what will happen during a physical examination or blood test using these photo stories.
- Information for health professionals - Understand intellectual disability and how it affects a person’s health.
- NSW Health. Integrated trauma-informed care framework: My story, my health, my future - Enhance the experiences of clients and their families and carers accessing NSW Health services
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Health Education and Training Institute
- Lets talk disability – meet the diverse needs of people with disability who use NSW Health services (course code: 67951622).
- Cognitive disability and the criminal justice system – Communicate effectively and support people with cognitive disability in or at risk of contact with the criminal justice system (course code: 94996714).
- Enabling person centred end of life care for people living with dementia, mental illness or intellectual disability – explore and understand the concepts of dignity, respect and supported decision making as fundamental aspects of end of life planning and how it relates to specific clinical populations (course code: 395615926).
- University of NSW. ID health education – Enrol in these e-learning modules to improve health and wellbeing for people with an intellectual disability.
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Council for Intellectual Disability
- Health guide resources – Share these easy read resources with your patients.
- Just include me - Promote inclusion in healthcare for people with intellectual disability
- Australian Commission on safety and quality in healthcare. Informed consent fact sheets for clinicians – Understand the principles and how to obtain in informed consent
- La Trobe University. Support for decision making practice framework learning resource – Work through the process of supporting people with cognitive disabilities to make decisions.
- Speech Pathology Australia. Fact Sheets on augmentative and alternative communication – Understand communication using something other than speech.
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Data
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People with intellectual disability are identified in health service records, including whether they are participants in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
- Queensland Metro Health South. Health equity and access - Fact sheets which also highlights possible reasonable adjustments.
- Council for Intellectual Disability. My health matters - Easy read folder made to improve communication that includes NDIS information.
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Policies and procedures are reviewed for their impact on inclusiveness of people with intellectual disability
- Including people with disability checklist – Checklist for planning, developing, implementing and evaluating inclusive policies, programs, procedures and strategies.
- Principles for research on intellectual disability – Consider these principles when conducting research that includes people with an intellectual disability.
- Centre for Developmental Disability Health Victoria. Working with people with ID in healthcare settings– Understand intellectual disability, the barriers to healthcare and use these tips for care.
- Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District. Rights and responsibilities information for people with intellectual disability – Share this easy read fact sheet with your patients.
- University of NSW Making mental health policy inclusive of people with intellectual disability intellectual disability: A summary for service providers – Use these principles to improve your policies.
- Therapeutic Guidelines. Developmental disability – Consider the topics in the guidelines collections.
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Systems
- People with intellectual disability and their carers are involved in healthcare planning and setting health goals in respect to their own healthcare
- Improving the experience of hospitalisation for people with intellectual disability – Watch Daniel’s story and his experience of hospitalisation and consider some reflective questions.
- Accessing care for a patient with intellectual disability – Robert discusses what matters most to him as a person with intellectual disability.
- Orientation to caring for a patient with intellectual disability – Maria speaks about access to health services for people with intellectual disability and family and carers.
- Including people with disability checklist - Checklist for planning, developing, implementing and evaluating inclusive policies, programs, procedures and strategies.
- Co-design toolkit – Use these tools support consumers to become equal partners in the improvement process for health services.
- Easy read health appointment letter – Use this template to adapt an appointment letter
- Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District. Compliments and complaints – share this accessible resource with your patients.
- Multicultural Health Communication Service. Being a healthy woman – a resource for women with intellectual disability about reproductive and sexual health.
- Clinical Excellence Commission Top5 – Toolkit – LHDs can use these tools to meet the needs of people receiving health services.
- CareSearch. Talking end of life with people with intellectual disability – Teach people with intellectual disability about the end of life.
- Council for Intellectual Disability. End of life care – Review this fact sheet about end of life care.
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Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare.
- NSQHS Standards user guide for health service organisations providing care for patients with cognitive impairment or at risk of delirium – Review the critical actions in the second edition of the NSQHS Standards that support safe and high quality care for patients with cognitive impairment or at risk of delirium.
- Delirium clinical care standard – Use these eight quality statements to improve pathways of care for people at risk of, or experiencing delirium.
- Commonwealth Closing the Gap Implementation Plan - The Plan provides an overview of the Commonwealth’s existing actions that contribute to Closing the Gap https://www.niaa.gov.au/resource-centre/indigenous-affairs/closing-gap-implementation-plan-2022
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Mental health
- There is a specific health service strategy and plan for intellectual disability and mental health, which includes the involvement of justice health and ambulance services
- Information for health professionals – Understand intellectual disability and how it affects a person’s health.
- Expert roundtable on transitioning young people with intellectual disability and mental illness to adult health services: Summary report – This summary report discusses the need for change, the challenges with current transitioning practices, consensus points, actions and areas for change. and mental illness and the consensus points.
- NSW Ministry of Health. Easy read and accessible mental health information – Fact sheets about health provision, the Act, rights and making complaints.
- University of NSW.
- A model of care for adults with an intellectual disability and co-occurring mental disorders: Briefing paper – Consider the recommended principles, components and structure of a model of care.
- Intellectual disability mental health core competency framework: A manual for mental health professionals – Review the specific skills and attributes required by mental health professionals for the provision of quality services to people with an intellectual disability.
- Intellectual disability mental health connect - Mental health information and resources
- The guide: Accessible mental health services for people with an intellectual disability: A guide for providers (UNSW) – Study the national framework of understanding and action for frontline mental health service providers with respect to people with an intellectual disability.
- MySigns – An app to facilitate mental health assessment of people with intellectual disability
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Hospitalisation
- The health service has its own policies and procedures for the implementation of a statewide hospitalisation policy directive, which includes, or is specific to, people with intellectual disability
- Circle of support – Support people with intellectual disability talk about going to hospital.
- About me profile for children and families fact sheet – Help your patients to complete the profile to ensure better support.
- About me health profile – Encourage your patients to complete this profile, so their healthcare team can understand them better.
- NSW Ministry of Health. Responding to Needs of People with Disability during Hospitalisation – Use these guiding principles, including inclusion, person-centred services, accessibility, communication, and reasonable adjustment, to respond to the needs of people with disability.
- South Eastern Sydney Local Health District. Admission2Discharge Together Folder for People with a Disability – Facilitate timely transfer of relevant and current information.
- Council for Intellectual Disability. My health matters – Easy read folder made to improve communication that includes NDIS information.
- Western Australia Dept of Health. Hospital stay guidelines – Information for hospital staff on ways to support a person with complex disability support needs during their hospital admission.
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Integration within NSW Health
- People with intellectual disability who have chronic disease are supported to access chronic disease management, out-of-hospital and preventative health programs
- Say less show more visuals – Explain what will happen during a physical examination or blood test using these photo stories.
- Co-Design Toolkit: Working together with aboriginal communities – Use the 8 Ways Aboriginal pedagogy to apply Aboriginal perspectives.
- Australian Dept of Health and Aged Care. The Comprehensive Health Assessment Program (CHAP) – An evidence-based tool for conducting annual health assessments for people with intellectual disability in Australia.
- NSW Ministry of Health. Easy read and accessible mental health information – Fact sheets about health provision, the Act, rights and making complaints.
- Dying to talk – research on speaking with people with ID about end-of-life planning.
- University of NSW. Positive cardiometabolic health for people with intellectual disabilities: An early intervention framework – Complete the e-learning, and understand the framework.
- Bellamy J, Broderick C, Hardy LL, et al. Feasibility of a group-based school exercise intervention for children with intellectual disabilities J Intellect Disabil Res. 2020;64(1):7-17. DOI:10.1111/jir.12690 – Review this study demonstrating that engaging children with moderate-severe intellectual disability in school-based group exercise is feasible to assist in physical activity participation.
- Council for Intellectual Disability Health guide resources – Share these easy read resources with your patients.
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Integration within external services
- Local service mapping and liaison has been undertaken in the health service to identify all community disability services and ability linkers and National Disability Insurance Agency outlets
- Emergency transfer assessment form for disability staff – An ISBAR checklist to facilitate transfer.
- Growing concerns tool for the disability sector – A guide to know what to look for and what to do about, your concerns for someone with intellectual disability, when they are becoming unwell.
- Guidelines on the pathways to care for children and adolescents with intellectual disability and challenging behaviour and/or mental health problems – Help parents and carers to make sense of the system.
- Metro-Regional Intellectual Disability Network Co-design toolkit – a resource to support designing health services in collaboration with service users and providers
- Department of Health and Aged Care. Primary health networks – Discover the contact details, resources and activities according to area.
- NDIS. Services if you’re in hospital - Consider these case studies exploring NDIS supports in hospital.
- First Peoples Disability Network - A national human rights organisation of and for Australia’s First Peoples with disability their families and communities.
- Victoria Department of Health. Better Health Channel: Disability liaison officer program – Disability liaison officers provide support so that people with disability can access healthcare.
- Western Australia Dept. of Health. Disability Health Network – Review the information and resources from this community of practice.
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Specialised health services
- Links have been established between the health service and specialised disability health teams. There is consultation regarding developing protocols about hospital admissions, discharges and emergency department admissions for people with intellectual disability
- University of NSW. Responsible psychotropic prescribing to people with an intellectual disability podcasts – Guidance for health professionals on safe and effective prescribing practices for the treatment of mental health disorders in people with an intellectual disability.
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NSW Ministry of Health
- Statewide intellectual disability health service – Supports and builds the capability of the health system to meet the healthcare needs of people with intellectual disability in NSW.
- Statewide intellectual disability mental health hubs – Help people with intellectual or developmental disability access appropriate mental health care.
- GeneEQUAL. GeneEQUAL Toolkit – Advice for health professionals on advice on how to do health care that is respectful, inclusive and accessible.