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Reasonable and necessary' care: The challenge of operationalising the NDIS policy principle in allocating disability care in Australia
Foster, Michele Henman, Paul Tilse, Cheryl Fleming, Jennifer Allen, Shelley Harrington, Rosamund Ann
Foster, Michele
Henman, Paul
Tilse, Cheryl
Fleming, Jennifer
Allen, Shelley
Harrington, Rosamund Ann
Abstract
isability reform in Australia centres on a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which aims to provide lifelong, individualised support based on the principle of ‘reasonable and necessary’ care. As a universal rights-based scheme it represents a historical shift in allocation principles in Australia's disability policy. Nonetheless, attention will be on determining who receives what care given the diversity of personal and family contexts. The aim of this paper is to discuss the operational complexities of a principle of reasonable and necessary care with reference to the findings of a three-year study on the experiences and perspectives of disability care of 25 adults with acquired disability, their 22 nominated family members and 18 service providers. Evidence from this study suggests enacting the principle of reasonable and necessary care and support will be problematic, in particular as it relates to personalising the level and scope of services, balancing formal and informal care, and principles of equity. The paper contributes to the literature about allocation principles in social policy and the challenges of implementation. Further, it provides an empirically informed discussion of some of the specific policy implementation challenges concerning the NDIS.
Keywords
disability care, policy allocation principles, national disability insurance scheme, evidence-based policy, qualitative research
Date
2016
Type
Journal article
Journal
Australian Journal of Social Issues
Book
Volume
51
Issue
1
Page Range
27-46
Article Number
ACU Department
School of Allied Health
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
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Open Access Status
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Controlled