What is a support coordinator?
For people with disabilities who have complex health and support needs, the experience of being in hospital and the transition out of hospital can be particularly challenging. The risks for the person and their family are high. Getting the support they need, when they need it, requires know-how and collaboration from everyone around them. In particular, they need two large systems – the health system and the NDIS – to be working effectively together.
Health Practitioners are crucial in this, and they need resources that are specific to working with this group of patients.
With funding from the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services, the Summer Foundation has developed tailored resources for health practitioners. These resources cover the entire hospital journey for people with disabilities, from admission to discharge back into the community:
Getting the Language Right
How to write effective support documentation for people with disabilities and complex health and support needs seeking access to the NDIS.
NDIS and Health: Working together
A guide for health practitioners and NDIS staff supporting people in their journey from hospital admission, to discharge and safe and supported transition back into community life.
Getting ready for NDIS planning
A toolkit for people with disabilities whose health status calls for specific recognition and tailored support, and who need this to be visible and documented in their NDIS Plans. This toolkit assists them to identify, explore and be ready to include their specific health issues and health risks in their NDIS Plans.
The toolkit is made up of distinct parts. You can download each part below:
About this toolkit
1. Disability and health supports and how the NDIS defines them
2. My details and preferences
3. What would a great life be for me?
4. About my health – being prepared for NDIS planning
5. If circumstances change
6. About my health – being prepared for hospital admission
7. Sources (and further information)
The Summer Foundation has developed sample NDIS plans to share with people aged under 65 years living in, or at risk of entering, residential aged care (RAC) and their families, supporters, guardians or nominees.
This guide includes five sample plans for people in differing circumstances with examples of how the NDIS can support participants to exercise choice and control to lead an ordinary life:
Sample NDIS Plan A: Working towards leaving RAC to live in the community with appropriate supports from the NDIS
Sample NDIS Plan B: Supporting a younger person to move out of RAC into specialist disability accommodation (SDA)
Sample NDIS Plan Plan C (Year 1): Supporting a younger person with disability and complex support needs to live in SDA in the community
Sample NDIS Plan D (Year 2): This plan shows the following year of supports for a younger person with disability and complex support needs to get an idea of what supports and funding a person might need living in SDA in the community
Sample NDIS Plan E: Living a more fulfilled life in RAC
It can be overwhelming to think about all the services and supports someone may need in a day, week, month or in 12 month’s time. It can also be difficult to understand how much NDIS funding you need to achieve your goals.
These sample plans are to give you a place to start. We have also included a pre-planning tool to help you to develop your own plan and a planning template so you can keep a record of your planning meeting.
Download a Word document version of the Sample NDIS Plans below:
Download a PDF version of the Sample NDIS Plans below:
Resources for connecting people to the NDIS and finding a suitable place to live
The Summer Foundation has worked closely with hospital discharge staff, people with disability and families to understand the issues around accessing comprehensive disability support.
This toolkit provides targeted information for hospital discharge staff, and staff in acute and rehabilitation hospital settings, relating to the discharge of people aged under 65 years who have acquired a disability.
The toolkit includes the following features:
- Resources for team members working with younger people with disability and complex support needs
- Resources to pass on to people with disability and their families, to inform decision making, improve discharge outcomes and facilitate greater access to the community
- Resources in a range of formats, including checklists, fact sheets, templates, hints and tips, video stories and quick links
- Separate sections that reflect the different stages of a resident’s connection to the NDIS and beyond
Disability Sector and NDIS Overview
For patients
What is the NDIS and is it for me?
What are advocates and how can they help me?
Guardians and administrators: What can they do and who decides if I need one?
Moving in to residential aged care? Here’s how the NDIS can support you
How do I choose someone to support me to make NDIS decisions?
Superannuation: How do I know if I can access it early?
What is a Power of Attorney and how can they support me?
Insurance
For staff
Getting the language right: A guide to writing reports, letters, forms and assessments for the NDIS
NDIS at a glance: Useful links and resources
Further reading on NDIS
Hospital discharge – Context
Hospital discharge – Working together
ACAT: The value of working collaboratively
Kirsty’s story
Hospital discharge – Lessons for health services
Michael’s hospital discharge experience
ACAT: Exploring options for a younger person with disability
Discharge planning – from hospital to home
NDIS Access
For patients
How to fill out the NDIS Access Request Form
Case study: Financial considerations for people with acquired disability
Financial considerations of moving in to residential aged care
How to get the best out of NDIS – Access stage
For staff
NDIS access: Useful links and resources
The NDIS: A new landscape for people who acquire a disability
Hospital discharge – Making sense of a new world
Hospital discharge – Looking to the future
Danny’s story – with his brother Michael
Goal Setting and Planning
For patients
What can I get in an NDIS plan?
What do I take to my NDIS planning meeting?
Support coordinators: Who are they and how can they support me?
For staff
Hospital discharge – Where will I live
Hospital discharge – NDIS Planning
Individual people need individual responses
Holding out hope
Chris’ experiences with the health system
Achieving goals – from hospital to home
I’m a person before a disability – Karen’s story
An NDIS journey
NDIS Plan Implementation
For patients
Plan management
For staff
NDIS implementation: Useful links and resources
NDIS planning: Useful links and resources
Hospital discharge – Implementing the plan
Matthew’s story
Life after discharge – from hospital to home
Making the most of this toolkit:
- The NDIS is currently evolving, and so is the broader disability services landscape. As such, the information in this toolkit is likely to change. For the latest resources, check back on this website, or sign up to our mailing list to make sure you receive the most up-to-date information as soon as it’s available.
- The term ‘participant’ is used by the NDIS to refer to an individual who is currently registered to access the NDIS. In the residential aged care setting, these individuals are commonly described as ‘residents’. Where the resources in this toolkit refer to a ‘participant’, they refer to a resident of your facility who is already registered with the NDIS, or is likely to be eligible to access the NDIS.
- The ‘hints and tips’ provided in the resources are based on our own experiences of working with people with disability who have high and complex support needs. There is no effective one-size-fits-all approach to supporting people with disability. All advice should be considered in context of the individual, their goals, and their financial and social circumstances.