NDIS review is published highlighting the use of data is paramount for quality service
The NDIS review
The NDIS review dropped on Thursday and while they are just recommendations at this point, we are guaranteed to see significant changes.
One of the key aspects of the review is the is the availability and use of data to be the underlying driver of quality. The review states that data is “essential to increasing our understanding, improving transparency and making evidence-based decisions about the future of the disability ecosystem”. There is a continuous clear message, for Disability Service Providers to be successful, they need comprehensive disability data and data that demonstrates improvements in the participant experience. Couple this with the fact that Disability Services are complex, multifaceted and often remote, it can often be hard to know what or how to collect data.
The NDIS Practice Standards were introduced in 2018. They are designed to focus on the NDIS participant experience and to improve the quality of supports and services over time. They are however complicated and hard to communicate, and if my interpretation of the review is correct, the practice standards are only going to get bigger.
If you are like most disability orgs and the external NDIS Audits provoke a mad panic for at least 6 weeks before audit date. Then you do the audit and with only a 3-point ranking scale, you know how hard it can be to know if your service is quality. There must be a better way….And there is. Capturing data regularly using a tool like Tendable and by benchmarking against other service providers.
Following on from the NDIS review Supporting Potential is excited to launch the NDIS Quality Roundtable and Benchmarking powered by Tendable.
54% of service providers report they have difficulty accessing disability data, so this group will bring important new information to providers where you will be able to gauge your performance against peers with customised reports, and benchmarking will help the sector as a whole by generating data to give a clear picture of what is happening on the ground. You will also have the opportunity to meet with your peers once per quarter to discuss the pressing issues of the moment. Attendance can be face to face, held in the state where most participating service providers are located or virtually via MS Teams.
We recognise that the use of your quality data is sensitive. Your information will be carefully managed and is always de-identified, so that the privacy and other interests of providers and NDIS participants are protected. Safeguarding the confidentiality of contributing providers will be of the highest importance at all times.
Success will depend on the variety of Service Providers who choose to participate. In time, we want to see all parts of the sector represented, so that providers, participants, people with purchasing power and governments better understand the many different circumstances that affect providers and participants in the NDIS.
We are starting data collection on 1 July 2024, giving you plenty of time to implement the technology and build your own baseline. Then we will collect and verify your data annually thereafter. Showing you how you compare to each of your peers against each practice standard.
Building a benchmarking database is a not a new idea for the NDIS. We recognise that there are many benchmarking opportunities, but most of them focus on the financials. We believe that we are currently the only organisation offering to benchmark service providers against each other and critically the NDIS Practice Standards.
The NDIS review’s recommendations will continue to take shape, but based on the proposed changes to pricing, organisations will need to quickly develop strategies to address the models support, both in terms of improving the current legacy risks and respecting participant choices, while at the same time supporting participants and the transition to more contemporary and innovative supports.
The beauty of a tool like Tendable and also participating in this data collection is this isn’t just a data sharing activity, you see your own data in real time. Allowing you to solve problems before they become emergencies.
Our hope is that by engaging more heavily in measuring and monitoring the quality of the outputs a service provider is delivering, they will also see:
- Increased productivity and profit
- Improved employee satisfaction, motivation and retention levels
- More positive mindset amongst employees
- Employee empowerment, ownership and accountability
- An enhanced ability to adapt to change and manage transitions
- Increased capacity to meet organisational business goals or possibly reduced operational overhead
- Attracting top talent
So, what are you waiting for, sign up to get more information on how you can better direct, control and monitor your quality service provision. With the assurance, that as things change in the broader scheme, we will change and adapt too. Meaning you will always be at the forefront of quality service delivery in the disability sector.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/H6F5XP7
For information on the NDIS and many other aspects of the disability sector please reach out Contact – Supporting Potential