Latest news with #alliedhealth
ABC News
04-07-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Families fear reduced NDIS support as travel subsidies paid to allied health providers cut
Zaiden Dyball's parents had spent years searching for the right therapists. The five-year-old, who has a rare disability, had recently started taking assisted steps with the help of in-home therapy sessions. "It makes me so emotional," his mum, Tiana Dyball, said. "We've battled with finding the right therapists from six months old." Ms Dyball said they are at risk of losing his "incredible team of therapists" under the price changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Zaiden was born with a genetic condition known as UBE2A Microdeletion, which impacts his development and ability to regulate sensory input. When he was born in 2020, his parents were told that there were only 12 reported cases worldwide. "[It] was hard to navigate when we were still learning about it and the doctors were still learning about it," Ms Dyball said. In the last 18 months, she said with the "right" therapists, Zaiden has been able to sit independently and stand with assistance. But Ms Dyball is worried Zaiden's progress will slow down with less frequent visits. From July, the agency that manages the NDIS cut travel subsidies paid to allied health providers by 50 per cent. Under the new price rules, Ms Dyball said her son, who is only able to have sessions at home, could lose his therapist or have reduced sessions. "When we go in clinic he gets very worked up. He ends up throwing up and eventually just shutting down, so we have really ineffective therapy sessions," she said. "Our therapists can only charge a certain amount now, and a lot of our therapists aren't from the local area. Speech pathologist Maryane Gomez said she is "being forced to reconsider" whether she can continue seeing clients under the reduced travel rates. The Redlands-based clinician said it's a decision even bigger clinics are considering to remain "financially viable". Dr Gomez spends up to almost an hour in the car travelling to some clients. She specialises in diagnosing and treating children with childhood apraxia of speech. It is a condition where children experience difficulties coordinating their movements to speak, and it requires intensive therapy. "There's very few clinicians that are properly trained to work with this population," she said. Dr Gomez conducts around 40 therapy sessions a week across a small caseload. "I do therapy at school, at their daycare centres to be able to provide the level of intensity that they need to actually improve their communication skills," she said. Other therapists in Dr Gomez's field have told her they won't be able to continue providing services. "If we have speech pathologists exiting the NDIS system, that means that our clients are really going to struggle to find the appropriate and quality support," she said. The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) said a comprehensive review of the prices revealed NDIS participants were paying different prices for those therapies compared to what other Australians would pay. The NDIA spokesperson said the agency had heard from participants that "excessive travel claims" for therapy-related services were draining participants' plans faster than expected. "For example, a therapist travelling three hours each way to visit a participant for a one-hour session equated to over $1,300 being taken from a participant's plan," the spokesperson said. They said the updated therapy travel rules would encourage providers to schedule more efficiently and provide clear cost expectations for participants. "The agency closely monitors the market and continues to work with providers to support the growth of quality supports," the spokesperson said. People with Disability Australia deputy chief executive Megan Spindler-Smith said there needed to be more community engagement and collaboration to understand the impacts of the new prices. "It would be a new ask, but it is something that we do need to have considered so that we're not surprised by or having to reset," they said. "And also, we don't want to continue to lose providers from the market." They said the recent level of changes to the NDIS had been unlike anything seen in previous years. "We are experiencing quite a bit of change fatigue," they said. "There is a risk that each annual pricing review will introduce more changes that potentially we're not always clear how they're going to be part of the wider ecosystem." Ms Dyball said she hoped the NDIA would reconsider its decision to change the travel fees. "I feel like this was sprung on us very quickly. As a parent of a person with a disability, it's terrible," she said. "Therapy travel is important."
ABC News
24-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Allied health providers say NDIS price, travel review will hurt vulnerable in Kimberley, Pilbara
Allied health providers across Western Australia's remote north say residents will be disproportionately hit by a recent review of NDIS services and allowances. The review, announced earlier this month, flagged cuts to some allied health services, as well as a reduction of claimable travel time by 50 per cent. The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) stated that, in some cases, price limits were up to 68 per cent higher than market value prior to the review. Having already lost access to some NDIS-funded services for her two daughters, Wickham mother Janel Went is concerned the support available in their community, 1,570km north of Perth, will be reduced even further. "We access speech therapy, occupational therapy, a dietician, physiotherapy — we access quite a few different services through them," she said. "We've actually already lost one of our OTs who came out." Ms Went said suggested alternatives, including driving long distances to sessions or telehealth, were not viable. Ms Went said she wanted to see the NDIA consult with regional residents on the changes. "I just think the NDIA really needs to speak to families," she said. "They've looked at figures rather than understanding the impacts that it has on the families — especially families in the rural regions." Local providers told the ABC that NDIS participants made up to 60 per cent of their client base in some cases. Industry figures say the removal of that income stream could leave some practices and businesses contemplating closure. Caitlin Breheny, director of Karratha-based Connect Paediatric Services, said the reductions to claimable travel costs were unsustainable. "We can't, as a business, travel to communities in western remote WA that are not just 20 minutes away — they're sometimes three, four or five hours away," Ms Breheny said. Mr Breheny's business has serviced families as remote as Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands for a number of years, support she said might come to an end due to the review. Fly2 Health services remote communities throughout WA, including Balgo, 1,800km north-east of Perth, and a three-hour drive from the nearest town. Chief executive Kennedy Lay said Fly2 Health was reviewing policies internally as a result of the pricing review. "It may mean that there are some communities that are just not viable to go to," he said. Mr Lay said services like Fly2 Health withdrawing from Balgo could mean residents would need to travel thousands of kilometres for treatment. The closest commercial flight to Perth is via Kununurra, a near-seven-hour drive. In a statement, a spokesperson for the NDIA said it was important participants were paying prices in line with industry standards. "We heard from participants that excessive travel claims for therapy-related services are draining participants' plans faster than expected," the spokesperson said. "The updated therapy travel claiming rules encourage more efficient scheduling by providers and provide clear cost expectations for participants to help them get better value from their funding." Disability Services Minister Hannah Beazley said the state government was working on a solution. "The WA government is working with the Commonwealth government and the NDIA to try and find solutions to pricing in regional and remote areas, or areas where there are service gaps," Ms Beazley said in a statement. "The Cook Labor government is committed to advocating for a pricing model that meets WA's operating environment and unique needs."
ABC News
19-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Burnie's new health hub under construction, with 24-hour pathology lab set to open in July
For the past three years, the former University of Tasmania (UTAS) campus in Burnie has sat empty — but that's starting to change. Brothers Jack and Jerome Muir Wilson, a pharmacist and GP respectively, have plans to transform the site into a multidisciplinary health hub combining primary care, allied health and social services. The $24 million health hub will host 16 permanent service providers and require an estimated 180–200 staff once operational. The project attracted bipartisan support during the federal election campaign, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese committing $8 million during a brief visit to the site in April. Builders are now on site, working to turn the university's old science lab into a 24-hour pathology lab that will service the North West Regional Hospital, before its July 1 opening date. A development application for the rest of the health precinct will be lodged with Burnie City Council in the coming weeks. If all goes to plan, the new health precinct will be open to the public by the middle of next year. The fate of the old university buildings on Mooreville Road has been uncertain since UTAS moved its Cradle Coast campus to West Park in 2021. At one point, the Tasmanian government — which owns the site — proposed using the site for new Supreme and Magistrates courts. In the face of strong community opposition, the plans were eventually scrapped, leaving the future of the former campus in doubt. Jack said the site was an ideal location for the health hub, but three years of disuse have taken its toll. "The site's been left unused and unserviced for three years. Basically, they rolled out ... and shut the door," he said. Animal droppings left by resident possums were strewn throughout some of the buildings, and empty classrooms showed signs of break-ins and general neglect. But despite the work ahead, Jack said he was confident the health hub would be operational by mid-next year. The centre will bring multiple services under one roof. There will be a GP clinic, mental health care, medical imaging, pathology, a pharmacy, and a range of family and women's services. The Muir Wilson brothers also hope to host Burnie's promised Medicare Urgent Care clinic, pending the outcome of a tender process. Dr Jerome Muir Wilson, the visionary behind the Launceston Health Hub, will lead the GP clinic. While the Burnie health hub will draw on the experience and success of the Launceston Health Hub, Jerome said the Burnie precinct would not simply be a copy of it. "It wouldn't be the same mix that you'd put in Launceston, in Mildura, or on the Sunshine Coast. It's what Burnie needs and it's what services are lacking support and accommodation," he said. Women's Legal Service is one of the not-for-profit service providers set to move into the space once it's complete. Chief executive Yvette Cehtel said the organisation's current office in Burnie was not fit for purpose, so she jumped at the chance to be part of the health hub. "It being fitted out means it will have proper, safe soundproofing, which we don't have in any of our other offices statewide, because we're always going into existing office spaces," Ms Cehtel said. One of the former university buildings will host the legal service, alongside a sexual assault support service, and family planning and parenting support groups. These organisations will share some facilities and consultation rooms, including rooms that are connected to both indoor and outdoor playgrounds for children to use during consultations. Ms Cehtel said she was confident it would make a significant difference for the region. "Having the Women's Legal Service, places like Laurel House, Family Planning, and Playgroup Tasmania all together will provide an opportunity for us to do some really interesting work in the prevention space, and no doubt it'll be a hub for ideas and innovation as well," she said Laurel House is a sexual assault support service that operates in multiple locations across the state, including Burnie. Therapeutic services manager Kerri Collins said a permanent home in the Burnie Health Hub would provide long-term stability for the organisation, and greater confidentiality and anonymity for victim-survivors. "People don't see them walking particularly into our building and go, 'oh, they're going to a sexual assault support service'. The second stage of the development is being finalised, with a development application expected to be submitted to the Burnie City Council in the coming weeks. For the Muir Wilson brothers, who grew up on the north-west coast, the project is personal. "We know that our health system should be better and we know we can do better. We want to see better access and better services for the people of Tasmania," Jack said.
