Summary
Date: 6 November 2020
The RACGP has provided a submission on proposals for a new National Disability Strategy beyond 2020.
The RACGP recommends the Strategy:
- acknowledge the central role of GPs in supporting and improving health outcomes for people with disability
- link to information about the roles of key workers involved in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) (eg planners and Local Area Coordinators), and highlight the need for GP input into the planning process to ensure participant needs are met
- prioritise meeting the health needs of people with cognitive disability.
The submission also outlines specific actions that could be taken to improve health outcomes for people with disability, including:
- expanding the role of GPs in the NDIS planning process
- recognising the time spent by GPs preparing reports and completing other documentation to support NDIS applications, including consideration of how GPs can be reimbursed for work completed when patients are not present
- consulting with key stakeholders around the development of a voluntary patient enrolment model
- making Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) telehealth items permanent beyond 31 March 2021
- increasing Medicare rebates for GP consultations to reflect the real cost of providing ongoing comprehensive, patient-centred care to people living with disability
- promoting uptake of existing MBS health assessment items.