The Driving Change Team have provided input into the Productivity Commission's Delivering Care More Efficiently Inquiry, pushing for better inclusion to promote the health of people with intellectual disability.

The Productivity Commission (PC) (the Commission) is an independent body that provides research and advice to the Australian Government on economic, social and environmental issues affecting the welfare of Australians. The Commission conduct their own inquiries, and they also conduct research at the request of the Australian Government.

It is important to get our voices heard by the Commission as they have a role in informing Australian government decision-making.

What the inquiry is about

The Delivering Care More Efficiently Inquiry is part of five inquiries that are together looking into how to boost Australia’s economy to be more productive. The inquiry was interested to learn how to ensure sustainability and better outcomes in our care sectors including health, disability and aged care.

What we said about Delivering Care More Efficiently

We provided recommendations for three areas:

• Reform of quality and safety regulation to support a more cohesive care economy.
  People with intellectual disability face major issues with quality and safety regulations when seeking health care. We told the Productivity Commission that quality and safety regulations need to be more aligned across the different care service sectors and jurisdictions.
   
• Embed collaborative commissioning to increase the integration of care services.
  People with intellectual disability could benefit from collaborative commissioning through better integrated care models, including in preventive health care, improved transition from hospital to home and avoidance of residential aged care placement.
   
• A national framework to support government investment in prevention.
  We told the Commission that there are many different ways that money can be invested to foster and promote preventative models for people with intellectual disability. We said that many of these already exist and a reorganisation of existing programs and frameworks could promote better flow of ideas.

What happens next

You can read our submission to the Delivering Care More Efficiently survey here. The Commission is accepting submissions into their Delivering Care More Efficiently Inquiry until the 15 September. We would encourage you to make a submission if you feel strongly about it. You can submit these up until 15 September. You can find out more information about how to do this here.