Self-assessment tool

The self-assessment is a checklist to identify your strengths and weaknesses and help you decide where your efforts will make the most difference to the care you provide. It will also give you ideas. The key actions have been matched to the National Safety and Quality Standards to help with accreditation.

Step 1 - Answering yes or no/unsure

Each statement seeks a response from the health service about recommended actions to build capability in health services for people with intellectual disability. The areas for action are categorised into nine domains. Don't be deterred by the number of actions. The self-assessment allows you to choose where you want to focus at any point in time.

Step 2 - Deciding where to make change

Analyse the types of responses under each domain. Decide whether you are going to focus on areas of strength or weakness and how these align with your disability inclusion action plan, and other identified areas, resources, priorities and strategic plans.

You might decide to work on the key (high priority) actions under each domain or you might decide to begin by concentrating on just one area for action (for example hospitalisation or mental health) and identify three actions to implement in that area.

The actions have been prioritised using colour to assist with decision-making:

Key (high priority)
Second level of importance
Third level of importance

Step 3 - Using the listed resources to support implementation

Once you have decided where to focus your effort for change, whether it is to build on identified strength or weakness, the recommended supports and resources will be useful.

Some have been developed by the Intellectual Disability Health Network and others by our partners. Some are templates, pathways or tools and some are more general guidance. You will have some of your own.

In the process of building capability, you may develop additional tools, supports and resources or adapt those already available to meet local need.

Example implementation

Hunter New England Local Health District health service streams and departments considered the actions taken directly from The Essentials as part of their disability action plans.

They used an of high priority actions matched to the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards to prepare for accreditation.

They adapted the self-assessment and action plan to create a local template.
Hunter New England Local Health District self-assessment template (DOC 73.2 KB)

What does my result from the self assessment look like and who can see it?

You can complete as many of the nine self-assessments as you choose. You are emailed a result for each one and for each time you complete it. The score is for your benefit. The Agency for Clinical Innovation does not keep a record of results. You might use your score to help decide where to concentrate your efforts. You might also use your results to track improvement and report against results in your Disability Action Plan or for accreditation purposes.