The Importance of Creating a Person-Centred Care Experience

People with disability are often infantilised. Medical professionals, employers, teachers and even complete strangers regularly assume that they are a better judge of what a person with disability needs than the very person who lives with that disability.

While people with intellectual and learning disability may require additional support, every person with disability should have control over the care services they receive. Rather than being solely a care recipient, they should be a co-creator in their support plan.

Person centred disability support respects the rights of people with disability to determine how they wish to live. It ensures they have agency and bodily autonomy. And while person-centric disability support is an ethical imperative, it’s also the key to better-quality support. 

Person-centred care has been found to improve patients’ physical and social well-being, as well as their satisfaction with their care. For people with learning disabilities, it’s been shown to lead to greater community involvement and contact with friends and family, as well as daily choice-making.

Key Features of a Person-Centred Care Experience

Co-creation is at the heart of person-centred care. Here's what that can look like when put into practice.

#1 A Support Plan Centred Around Client's Preferences, Goals and Needs

The client states their goals and a support plan is built to help them achieve that. While the strengths and needs assessment is conducted by a professional from your team, it gives adequate weight to the client's lived experiences.

Example:

Ava's selective mutism affects her ability to participate in school. She would like to be in the school choir, so that's a key goal in her support plan, and she also receives music therapy.

#2 Support Staff That Understands the Client

Your clients receive their support services from a person they trust. Support workers have a strong understanding of their assigned clients’ needs and maintain a good relationship with them.

Example:

Bodhi always looks forward to seeing their support worker, who not only provides support with daily activities but also takes an interest in Bodhi's hobbies.

#3 Clients Advocate for Themselves

Clients know how to request additional services or changes in support workers. They feel comfortable doing so, and any requests or complaints are both taken seriously and treated as a priority.

Example:

Charlie used to be able to climb the stairs to his flat without problems, but recently, it’s been giving him sharp knee pain. He sends a message to his support worker, who immediately arranges for a new needs assessment. This leads to physiotherapy sessions, plus Charlie’s support worker helps him set up online shopping as a short-term solution.

How You Can Provide Person-Centred Care

These practical tips will support you in creating a person-centred care experience with disability care software.

Track Progress Towards Goals

Add the client's goals and strategies for achieving those goals to your NDIS software. Then, update your progress note templates so that support workers are prompted to track the client's progression. This will help your team stay focused on the client's wants and objectives.

Match the Right Client with the Right Support Worker

Use your health care scheduling software to approve support workers for each client. You can use filters to make this easier or invite the client to select their preferred team members. Your care rostering software will ensure that only approved support workers are assigned to the client.

Ensure Support Workers Have the Information They Need

Use a caregiver app so that your support workers can access client details. By using an app, you'll ensure that your team can always view up-to-date information, plus it can better protect participants' privacy.

Share Information with Clients

Your clients can only be co-creators in their support plan if they're kept informed. Use your NDIS software to provide clients and their approved family members and friends with information. 

Key details to share include their latest progress towards their goals, up-to-date billing information and funds tracking. Make sure to use accessible language in all documentation that you're planning to share.

Provide a Platform for Clients to Make Requests

With an accessible platform for making requests, you'll help clients advocate for their needs, helping you to deliver high-quality care. It clearly communicates that they have the right to ask for additional support or select their preferred support workers. 

This type of platform also reduces the barriers that some people with disability may face, especially if they experience communication challenges, anxiety or executive dysfunction.

Facilitate Complaints

Supporting clients in raising complaints is essential for NDIS compliance, whether you're a registered provider or not. It's also key to ensuring a person-centred approach to disability support.

Make sure you have a well-designed system for handling complaints, and that clients know how to use it. Your NDIS software's document management settings should help you record incidents. 

Set up an incident template to make sure that all important details are included in the report. Respond quickly and transparently to any incidents and complaints. Ensure the client is kept up to date on the progress.

Software That Helps You Put Each Client's Needs First

The best NDIS software won’t just help you do your admin work more quickly. It will also enable you to deliver personalised support services that respect participant’s preferences and goals.

With ShiftCare’s NDIS software, you’ll be able to find the right support worker for each client, roster services, track progress towards goals and more. Your staff can access client details via the mobile app. And your clients and their loved ones can review their progress notes, request additional services and set their preferred support workers via their dedicated portal, ShiftCare Connect.

Discover how the right tools will support you in providing person-centred disability support. Try ShiftCare for free.