Providing quality care to individuals with high-care needs is of utmost importance in the disability support sector. As a support coordinator, understanding the specific aspects of high-intensity NDIS support is crucial for effectively assisting clients with complex needs. In this article we:
- delve into the significance of consistent and experienced carers in delivering optimal care to high-care NDIS participants
- explore the key factors that contribute to ensuring quality care
- provide insights on what to look for when choosing a carer for your complex needs clients.
Join us as we highlight the importance of quality care and its impact on the lives of individuals with high-care needs within the NDIS system.
Why is quality high-care NDIS support vitally important?
Quality care should be considered of central importance in disability support services. The care received by people experiencing disability often becomes an integral part of their daily life. But what constitutes “quality care”? A study into the perspectives on quality of care for people who experience disability identified three main themes that made a difference to the quality of care:
- Technical competence of carers (expertise in complex care)
- A “human” approach to the service provision (consistency, trust and familiarity)
- A context-appropriate response to needs (care which addresses individual needs)
Simply Better Care aims to deliver quality care that builds on those three themes. Without continuity and well coordinated care and support, participants of NDIS experience a fragmented, suboptimal level of care. Communication failures, ineffective sharing of information and distrust (in both the support provider and the support coordinator) can be the results. We have heard and seen this play out in the lives of NDIS participants as they retell their past experiences that led them to us – simply looking for better care.
As a support coordinator, understanding the specific aspects that ensure quality high-care NDIS support, is crucial for effectively assisting participants (your clients) with complex needs.
Consistent and Experienced Carers Provide Optimal Care
The significance of consistent and experienced carers lies in their ability to establish continuity of care, leverage their expertise in complex care and enhance the overall quality of life for high-care NDIS participants.
Continuity of Care:
Consistent and experienced carers play a crucial role in establishing continuity of care for high-care NDIS participants. These participants (your clients) often have complex needs requiring specialised support, and having the same carer consistently allows for the development of a trusted relationship.
Continuity of care ensures that the carer understands the client’s unique preferences, routines, and individual requirements, leading to more personalised and effective care provision.
Expertise in Complex Care:
High-care NDIS participants require skilled and knowledgeable carers who are experienced in providing care for individuals with complex disabilities. Experienced carers and enrolled nurses have a deeper understanding of the specific challenges, medical conditions, and behavioural aspects associated with high-care needs. Their expertise allows them to navigate complex care routines, administer specialised therapies or treatments, and respond effectively to difficult situations, ultimately enhancing your client’s well-being and safety.
Enhanced Quality of Life:
Consistent and experienced carers contribute significantly to the overall quality of life for high-care NDIS participants. These carers can provide a sense of stability, comfort, and familiarity, which is especially crucial for individuals with complex disabilities who may face difficulties in adapting to changes in their environment or care providers.
With consistent and experienced carers, your clients can experience improved emotional well-being, reduced anxiety, and enhanced social engagement, ultimately leading to a higher quality of life.
What should you look for in a high-intensity care provider for your complex needs clients?
Effective Communication and Seamless Transitions
Maintaining clear communication channels with support coordinators, clients and their families is one of the most valued characteristics needed for consistent care.
The 3 step approach we integrate into our services to deliver consistently effective communication are:
- Co-designing the care plan with the participant and their loved ones, to ensure their needs are heard, known and met
- Reviewing our services and care plans to ensure everyone stays on track
- Providing the participant with a direct point of contact to communicate any feedback or concerns they might have about the support service they are receiving
A high-intensity carer should be able to accommodate changes in care requirements and contribute to a smooth transition process. Having a consistent and experienced care provider helps ensure a seamless transition and minimise disruptions.
A Commitment to Building Trust and Establishing Familiarity
Familiarity helps create a safe and supportive environment. It goes without explanation, that building on trust and rapport with our clients is essential for delivering quality high-complex care. The most efficient way to achieve this is through dedicated carers who are in this position for the long term, committed to delivering consistent care.
The steps we take to be able to deliver a trusting and familiar service include:
- Ensuring we match a carer that meets the clients demographic preferences and compliments their personality
- Selecting carers according to the required skill sets and desired outcomes
- Carefully hiring carers who have the necessary qualifications, a demonstrated caring personality and have demonstrated a motivation to go the extra mile for our clients
When choosing a care provider for your high-complex client, look for a demonstrated commitment to creating familiarity and building trust between the carer, the client, the client’s family as well as with yourself as the coordinator.
Experienced and Well-Compensated Carers
It’s no secret that the best way to maintain a consistent care service is by maintaining consistent staff. Sadly, many organisations do experience difficulty with recruiting and retaining carers in the disability sector. A high turnover of carers with low staff retention is common to see. This is indeed sad, because it is the clients, those who need this consistency the most, who suffer the most.
That reason alone, is why we are particularly careful about who we invite to join our team. We have developed a number of strategies that help us experience a significantly lower staff turnover compared to other service providers.
Most of the carers who join Simply Better Care come through referrals from other carers who have loved and enjoyed working with us and caring for our clients. We also liaise with key stakeholders and other health professionals to determine the essential skills required for delivering a better quality care, to ensure our carers are properly skilled.
We take our emphasis on recruiting the best carers seriously. Other steps we take in recognising the value of experienced and well-compensated carers include:
- Training our irregular carers to fill in for the regular complex need carers in preparation for if the need arises
- Positioning our Registered and Enrolled Nurses to lead our team members delivering complex care needs
- Rewarding our carers with above industry pay rates and entitlements.
The Australian Government’s Draft National Strategy for the Care and Support Economy clearly identifies the link between quality care and providing attractive jobs for employee retention.
Committed to Delivering Quality High-Intensity Care and Support
If you are a support coordinator who is committed to prioritising continuity and quality care and support for your clients, and you’re looking for an NDIS provider who can deliver quality care to your complex-needs care clients, then we invite you to contact Simply Better Care.
Remember these key factors that contribute to ensuring continuity and quality care for individuals with high-intensity care needs:
- Co-designed care plans
- Regular service and Care Plan reviews
- Direct point of contact between clients and manager
- Matching carer to client’s individual preferences and needs
- High skilled carers
- Regular carer training
- Well compensated carers
Quality care is at the core of our mission, and we believe it is paramount in disability support services. Simply Better Care is committed to delivering excellent quality care to all of our NDIS clients, especially those with high-care or complex care needs.
We have created a printable checklist that helps NDIS Support Coordinators review their complex care needs and clients’ existing carers. Download your copy here and see how your current provider measures up. Or, you can refer someone you know who needs simply better care and support today.
SBC-Checklist-Carer_Review.pdf Download PDF • 83KB