National Roadmap for Improving the Health of People with Intellectual Disability
Written by Oliver Cumming
In August 2021, the Australian Government’s Department of Health released its National Roadmap for Improving the Health of People with Intellectual Disability. The roadmap is part of a ten-year plan aimed at improving serious health inequalities faced by people with intellectual disability.
Why a national roadmap is needed
As a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Australia has an obligation to ensure people with disabilities enjoy the ’highest attainable standard of health.’ Despite the convention, many people with disability experience:
- more than twice the rate of avoidable deaths
- twice the rate of emergency department and hospital admissions
- substantially higher rates of physical and mental health conditions
- significantly lower rates of preventive healthcare.
What the national roadmap intends to achieve
The overall goal of the roadmap is to develop a health care system in which people with intellectual disability have a voice. It also aims to deliver access to high quality, timely and comprehensive healthcare to enable them to achieve the best possible outcomes.
After consultation with people with intellectual disability, families and carers, medical professionals and disability advocates, the following key objectives were identified:
- Improve support for people with intellectual disability, their families and carers.
- Develop better models of care for people with intellectual disability.
- Support health professionals to deliver quality care for people with intellectual disability.
- Improve the oral health of people with intellectual disability.
- Improve monitoring of the health of people with intellectual disability.
- Ensure that the needs of people with intellectual disability are considered and met in emergency plans and responses.
There is also a strong focus on empowering people with intellectual disability to have a voice. Processes will be implemented to enable people with disability to be supported to make their own informed decisions about their health.
This is an important element, because as a guardian, it is important to always try to ensure that the person you represent has a say and can be supported to make their own decisions, when possible.
How this will be achieved
The national roadmap forms part of the Primary Health Care 10 Year Plan. The Australian Government is initially investing $19.3 million to address a number of priority issues, including implementing annual health assessments and better training in intellectual disability health for medical professionals.
The implementation of the plan will be overseen by a diverse group of health and disability stakeholders, including people with disability, families and cares, health, and government representatives.
It will also rely on the findings of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, to ensure that previous health-related mistakes are not repeated.
This plan is an important step in addressing the health inequalities faced by people living with intellectual disability and will promote a more equitable health care system for all.
Contact the Guardian Support Unit
Contact the Guardian Support Unit on 1300 361 389 or pg.engagement@opg.nsw.gov.au.
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