A little upset

Hey there @Former-Member,

Sitting with you here in the frustration and anguish you're expressing 💙NDIS is not something I've had to navigate, but I've heard many stories that mirror your experience.

What I'm also hearing in your post (please correct me if I'm wrong) is that you're acutely aware of your needs and that you're putting things in place to support them, I just want to acknowledge how amazing that is. It sounds to me that when things get tough, sure you feel frustrated and angry (and those feelings are valid), but you also manage to put things in place to support your needs. I really commend and admire that.

Do you still have the appointment in place with the SANE help centre today?

Hey @Former-Member,

I'll clarify by saying I'm glad you have some supports in place, and that you've been able to maintain those. I truly understand that sometimes these supports feel like they're not enough, and I'm wondering if you've been able to communicate to your GP (if he is your main support?) that you might need to review your plan with him?

I'm hoping that your chat with the SANE help centre will go some way to sorting through all the obstacles you've been facing, as I can hear you've had a really tough time. That old saying "it never rains but it pours" can really ring true sometimes, and it's at these times that I believe we need the support from people around us (who we trust) to hold the proverbial umbrella if our hand is tired.

Keep reaching out here @Former-Member if you need a place to chat, and please don't forget that the SANE counselling service is available until 10pm today on 1800 187 263 – they'll be able to provide a 1:1 space for you to explore some of the issues you're facing with the NDIS etc.

Rhye ☘️

Hi @Gwynn @Former-Member ,

I hear you that NDIS can be so challenging to deal with.

I’ve seen the frustration of many people dealing with NDIS and I really feel for them.

Im absolutely aware of the flaws of the scheme yet I’m also mindful it is relatively new. There are so many teething issues that need to be better managed.

As you mentioned @Former-Member , you have one worker one day and another the next. Hopefully in time to come, there will be continuity of care and less staffing issues as well as people with lived experience who can enter that workforce.

Over time, I hope you have better experiences with the NDIS.

NB I don’t work for the NDIS or anything… I simply see both sides and realise the need to shed light on both. I am in no way diminishing your feelings of frustration @Former-Member

All the best,

BPDSurvivor

With respect, @BPDSurvivor , it's not just that the NDIS is new, I believe that it has also been mismanaged by the current government.

Not only do they spend tens of millions of dollars per year on lawyers fighting against people with disabilities, claiming that this support or that support isn't 'reasonable and necessary', they do things like cap the amount of permanent employees in the NDIA at 3,000, when the Productivity Commission had estimated that 10,000 permanent employees were needed. They contract stuff out to private companies that shouldn't be contracted out, leading to a knowledge drain, and the spending of about $200 million in one year alone on consultants.

They replace the board that has disability experience with corporate sector types.

They try to rob Peter to pay Paul, by reassessing whether people on the DSP can be instead put onto Newstart, and the savings used for the NDIS, ignoring that if you're sufficiently disabled to be on the DSP in the first place, you're likely to also be on the NDIS.

They even scrapped the ad campaign letting people know about the NDIS.

They take money from the NDIS to set up a Drought Futures Fund for farmers.

The focus on fraud in the NDIS is squarely focused on participants, rather than companies (who have defrauded the NDIS to the tune of millions on luxury cars).

Then let's not forget about the debacle of 'independent assessments', which were going to standardise us into one of about 140 profiles and allocate us money based on those profiles, rather than our needs or goals, and we couldn't be assessed by our regular clinicians, who might have a soft spot for us and write us good reports that adequately describe our needs and deficiencies that the NDIS can help with.

Rick Morton has been covering the NDIS for quite some time, both at the Oz and the Saturday Paper, I would suggest you read some of his work on the history of the NDIS. this is from 2020, but should cover the issues in a fairly comprehensive manner.

A lot of the individual people within the NDIS are good people, who are trying their best, but the system is stacked against them doing the right thing by us. There would have been teething issues with a Labor government as well, but I don't believe they would have made so many fumbles.

Hi @Gwynn ,

I absolutely hear you. It is far from being even remotely accessible, let alone by those with a disability.

Time will tell how this will evolve. In the meantime, take care.

BPDSurvivor