The COVID-19 pandemic has posed immediate and ongoing risks for Australians, especially those with disabilities. Provider Choice, a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plan management provider, has delved into the pandemic's impacts on NDIS participants with permanent and significant disabilities.
As of April 2022, the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission reported 73 deaths of NDIS participants, with 919 active cases and a total of 11,237 cases among participants.
Meanwhile, Provide Choice's survey of 291 support coordinators, who collectively supported over 10,000 NDIS participants with the highest needs over the past two years, found that the key challenges experienced by these participants during the pandemic were:
These challenges have resulted in increased and more severe mental health issues, high levels of disengagement from the community, and needs not being met.
Among the support coordinators who responded to Provide Choice's survey, 72.3% reported loneliness and social isolation as one of the most common issues brought up by NDIS participants. As a result, support coordinators suggested providing mental health support.
The respondents also noted that NDIS participants were unable or unwilling to engage socially due to anxiety and fear. As a result, they have tried helping participants reduce their fear by encouraging them to connect with family, friends, and their community to avoid social isolation.
Regarding access to providers and their services, Provide Choice revealed that 63.5% of the respondents said many services did not translate easily online, saw substantial service gaps for support workers and therapists, and found the need for new criteria in choosing providers.
The respondents also highlighted that NDIS participants found it challenging to understand government and NDIS policies, with 42.1% of the respondents reporting a common concern for participants being confused around NDIS guidelines and policies related to COVID-19 – mainly due to frequent changes made by the health department and the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).
Lastly, 50.9% of the respondents said cancellation or postponement of plan reviews was a common cause of concern for NDIS participants. These plan reviews, either scheduled or unscheduled, enable participants to alter their plans to reflect changes in their needs. However, during the pandemic, many NDIS plans for participants with the highest needs were insufficient to meet the needs arising from this period.
The NDIS has been under fire since funding cuts, with some participants forced to fight for their homes or spend months longer than needed in hospitals.
