Carers lament NDIS pain

Hearings told of bureaucratic nightmare

THE National Disability Insurance Scheme presented carers with a bureaucratic nightmare of disappearing staff, lost paperwork, endless reviews and chronic shortages of allied health specialists, a parliamentary committee has heard.

The federal parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme held hearings in Hobart yesterday.

Committee members heard from a series of carers who had suffered negative experiences with the scheme.

Lisa Denny told the committee her first experience with the NDIS on behalf of her son had defeated her – noting that one staff member she dealt with appeared to vanish into thin air part-way through.

“I gave up and just didn’t bother. It had taken a lot of my time for no outcome,” she said.

She said she now spent 12 to 16 hours a week on administration for NDIS-related matters and had been forced to reduce her hours at work as a result.

She said it was hard for well-educated and highly motivated carers to navigate the system – and some people would find it just too difficult altogether.

Rebecca Copeland said her experience with the NDIS on behalf of her son Harri had been gruelling.

“Our journey with the NDIS has not been fun – it has been frustrating, it has been heartbreaking and it has been exhausting,” she said.

Ms Copeland said constant staff changes and the need for endless specialist reports, whose recommendations were often ignored, had made it hard to secure appropriate care for her two disabled children.

She said staff often only signed letters with their first name and called from blocked numbers, so were impossible to contact.

“I’ve had to fight so hard and have had to take so many avenues to get the care he needs. It’s exhausting for carers, it shouldn’t be so hard.”

Warren Lewis told the committee he had fought a futile 12month battle to have around $400 in spending approved so a wheelchair could be modified to suit his son Jaryd.

He said he experienced problems after his son’s death when trying to find out what government-funded equipment he needed to return.

“While we sorted it all out, while you are going through the passing of a son, that’s the last thing you want to do.”

Committee chairman Kevin Andrews said he hoped muchneeded changes would result from the hearings.

“Regretfully we’re hearing the same stories right around Australia,” he said. “There are systemic issues that need to be addressed and hopefully when we make our recommendations on planning, before the end of this year, we’ll be able to point to a better direction.”