The NDIS Review: Working together to deliver the NDIS (2023), released last week, is a crucial initiative, aimed at providing essential support for people with disabilities. The Review has identified key areas for improvement, emphasising the importance of building trust, addressing workforce challenges, and enhancing service quality. In this context, the Australian Allied Health Assistant National Association (AHANA) emerges as a crucial player, aligning seamlessly with the NDIS Review recommendations.
Allied Health Assistants’ National Association (AHANA)
AHANA's vision is to optimise the health and wellbeing of Australians by increasing the accessibility, equity, effectiveness, sustainability, and person-centredness of allied health services through the optimal use of allied health assistants (AHAs). AHAs are healthcare workers trained to provide person-centred, evidence-informed therapy and support to individuals and groups, promoting independence and well-being under the delegation and supervision of an Allied Health Professional.
Alignment with NDIS Review Recommendations:
- Embedding, promoting and incentivising continuous quality improvement in the market (recommendation 12)
- AHANA's national certification scheme prioritises continuous quality improvement, fostering trust in the market.
- Attracting, retaining and training a responsive workforce (Recommendation 15)
- AHANA focuses on attracting, retaining, and training a responsive workforce through its national certification scheme, which includes mandatory professional development to ensure AHAs are safe and competent.
- Delivering safeguarding that is empowering and tailored to individuals, their service needs and environments (Recommendation 16)
- AHANA's certification scheme delivers safeguarding tailored to individuals, their service needs, and environments, promoting an empowering and protective environment.
- Developing and delivering a risk-proportionate model for the visibility and regulation of all providers and workers, and strengthen the regulatory response to long-standing and emerging quality and safeguards issues (Recommendation 17)
- AHANA supports the development of a risk-proportionate model for the visibility and regulation of all providers and workers, aligning with the NDIS Review's emphasis on strengthening regulatory responses to quality and safeguards issue.
AHANA’s national certification scheme comprises:
- Continuing Professional Development
- Mandatory, continuing professional development will support the advancement of skills in line with best practices to ensure that allied health assistants are safe and competent.
- Industry-recognised career pathways
- Career pathways built on industry-recognised credentials help address the challenges in allied health assistant training, recruitment and retention.
- National Register and Oversight
- A national, searchable register of the allied health assistants, underpinned by a code of conduct and complaints process, are safeguards and the oversight providing the community assurance of allied health assistant quality.
As the NDIS continues to evolve, the demand for skilled workers, especially allied health workers, is on the rise. AHANA, through its national certification scheme, stands as a key ally in addressing the workforce challenges highlighted in the NDIS Review: Working together to deliver the NDIS (2023). By aligning with the recommendations and integrated actions, AHANA contributes significantly to the enhancement of support available from allied health assistants for people with disabilities, ensuring the delivery of safe, high-quality allied health services across Australia.
