Rachel Green - Care Connect - Thriving, not just Surviving: How can DisabilityCare Support Recovery?

Integrating Mental Health into the NDIS

Rachel Green

Director Mental Health, Care Connect

Thriving, not just surviving

Who is Care Connect?

Care Connect is a national community care provider of

person-centred planning, care coordination and brokerage.

We are a not-for-profit, secular organisation that has been

providing community care for almost 20 years.

We support thousands of people to live independently at home

and in the community.

We employ 200+ staff and in 2013-14 we will support 12,000+

people across a range of programs including aged, disability,

veterans, mental health and more.

Made a deliberate transition to evidence-based person-centred

practice ahead of the introduction of CDC and NDIS.

Thriving, not just surviving

Two case studies: Kate and Matthew

• Early onset psychosis as teenagers

• Both given poor prognosis

• ‘Charm bracelet’ of diagnoses

• Similar family backgrounds

• Both experience extreme social anxiety

Copyright Care Connect Limited 2013 All rights reserved

Thriving, not just surviving (in the ‘90’s)

• Suicide attempts & self harm

• Both are smokers, use alcohol & marijuana, engage in risky behaviour

• Poor physical health

• Illness and symptoms increase in severity and fluctuate

• Fall through the gaps in terms of support, education, employment.

• DSP and family support provides a safety net in and out of hospital, employment and homelessness.

• Both have significant psychosocial needs

>>Neither want to be in any sort of ‘mental’ program


Where are they now (and how are their teeth?)

Kate

Waitressing job, self-esteem, increase in income, escapes DV,

slow journey towards full employment.

>>>Married with a family, employed, still experiences symptoms

but largely self managed. Exit from DSP a major achievement.

Matthew:

Very limited social interaction, no friends, no work or activity.

>>>Major deterioration in physical health, including dental

problems, diabetes and serious risk of lung cancer. Receives

regular visits from mental health team to deliver medication.

‘Exited’ from a number of mental health programs.

Neither Kate nor Matthew have ever had a ‘recovery plan.’


Reconciling ‘permanent disability’ & recovery

– complex, but not impossible.


Who/what does support for Recovery look like?


Where are we now?

• NDIS being trialed during a ‘Perfect storm’ of ABF, PIR &

PHaMS and funding and legislative reform in States and

Territories

• Navigate the dichotomies of:

• Flexible vs rigid policy – eg. consent

• Permanent disability vs recovery – how long is

permanent?

• Outcomes vs fiscal pressures

• Protective competitiveness vs collaboration

• Balancing support to survive vs goals to thrive


What’s on our side?

• CMHA

• New programs, new approaches, earlier intervention

(age based)

• Commission’s galore

• National Recovery Frameworks

• Strong public attention and buy in

• Greatly increased awareness

• Partners in Recovery


How can we avoid this?


What could we do?

• Partnerships across the sectors including non mental health organisations

• Mine the detail for the systemic and leverage PIR communication channels

• Find the right KPIs – teeth, relationships, #systemchanges and #dialogue

• Follow the Salvation Army’s lead and share & compare

• Make friends with a bureaucrat / give a bureaucrat a job

• Get specific, coordinate and prioritise

• Be vigilant in looking for tweaks and success in your data

• Be realistic (think MHNIP & Better Access)

• Combine evidence with effective campaigning


Spam and eggs / eyes on the prize


Thank you

Contact details:

Rachel Green

Director, Mental Health Care Connect

P: 0411 270 608

E: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Rachel Green - Care Connect - Thriving, not just Surviving: How can DisabilityCare Support Recovery?

Health & Medicine

Transcript of Rachel Green - Care Connect - Thriving, not just Surviving: How can DisabilityCare Support Recovery?