The arrival of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and the ongoing imperative to progress the National Disability Strategy (NDS), have highlighted the pressing need for mainstream programs to participate in the reforms underway around services and supports for people with disability. While the issue of developing workable interfaces between specialist disability programs, mainstream programs and the NDIS has been discussed in many forums, little practical attention has been given to how this can be achieved and what outcomes are sought for governments, providers and people with disability.

The Joint Solutions Roundtables have been convened by the YPINH National Alliance in the jurisdictions to interrogate how these cross-­‐program connections can be developed. The Adelaide Roundtable focussed on the imperatives around the NDS and the NDIS in South Australia.

A follow up to the highly successful Joint Solutions Roundtable the Alliance had previously convened with senior officials from Queensland’s Department’s of Health; Communities, Child Safety and DisabilityServices; and Housing and Public Works, the forum was convened to raise awareness of the Queensland Joint Action Plan amongst the broader disability, health and housing sectors and highlight the need for improved collaboration across and between sectors, communities and government.

Over 80 young people, family members, advocates and service providers joined representatives from the National Disability Insurance Agency and senior officials to discuss the capacity of the Joint Action Plan to resolve the issue of young Queenslanders in long stay healthcare facilities; and begin collaborations with the NDIS to develop integrated service responses for young people with complex health and disability support needs.

Convened by the Young People In Nursing Homes National Alliance, the Queensland Joint Solutions Leaders Summit brought leaders from the health, disability, housing and aged care sectors in Queensland together to discuss the urgent need for coordinated care pathways for young Queenslanders with complex support needs.

Meeting in the Parliamentary Annexe overlooking Parliament House Brisbane, senior executives from Queensland’s Departments of Health; Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services; Housing and Public Works, were joined by Queensland’s Anti Discrimination Commissioner, Mr Kevin Cocks; Queensland’s Public Advocate, Ms Jodie Cook; representatives from Medicare Locals and the National Disability Insurance Agency; and clinicians and health workers who confront the need for joined up services every working day.

Participants with interests in aged care, disability and health met to discuss the urgent need for coordinated care pathways for young people with complex support needs at the Canberra Joint Solutions Leaders Roundtable convened by the Young People In Nursing Homes National Alliance in Parliament House.

The Hon. Amanda Rishworth, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers, welcomed participants to the roundtable and spoke of the opportunity the advent of DisabilityCare Australia offered to all Australians with disability.

Leaders from the health, disability and aged care sectors in NSW met in the Macquarie Room, Parliament House Sydney, to discuss options for coordinated care pathways for young people with complex support needs at the NSW Joint Solutions Leaders Summit convened by the Young People In Nursing Homes National Alliance.

NSW Minister for Disability Services and Minister for Aged Care, the Hon. Andrew Constance, opened the Summit. Also attending were Minister Constance’s parliamentary colleagues, Hon. Marie Ficarra, Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier; and Hon. Melinda Pavey, Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Health.

Leaders from Victorian health, disability and aged care sectors met in the K Room, Parliament House Melbourne, to discuss the need for coordinated care pathways for young people with complex support needs at the Victorian Joint Solutions Leaders Summit convened by the Young People In Nursing Homes National Alliance.

Dr. Bronwyn Morkham, the Alliance’s National Director, welcomed those present and asked each person to briefly introduce themselves, outlining their role and what outcomes they hoped to obtain from the morning’s proceedings. A desire to address some of the major service system blockages experienced across programs emerged as an early concern.

May 2010 The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) Report on data from the Younger People In Residential Aged Care Program. The report indicates that in the first three years of the program over 90 people were moved out of nursing homes, 300 people were provided with improved services within aged care, and 150 were diverted from inappropriate admissions to aged care.

On 23 November 2009, the Federal government announced that as part of its National Disability Strategy, the Productivity Commission had been commissioned to undertake a feasibility study into long-term care and support for people with disability in Australia. The study will be supported by an independent panel of prominent experts and will report by July 2011.