Spotlight issues
Where relevant, the User Guide includes boxes containing spotlight issues. These highlight important aspects of healthcare delivery for people with intellectual disability, their family’s and guardians.
The NSQHS Standards are designed to be implemented in an integrated way. The spotlight issues provide disability-specific information and links to important NSQHS Actions to show how these can contribute to the delivery of safe and high-quality health care for people with intellectual disability.
Spotlight issues
| Supported decision-making | This spotlight provides strategies on how to integrate the process of supported decision-making with person-centred care and informed consent. |
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| Co-design and consultation with people with intellectual disability | This spotlight provides information to help ensure that the perspectives, experiences and expertise of people with disability are considered in planning healthcare services. |
| Polypharmacy | People with intellectual disability and complex healthcare needs are more likely to experience polypharmacy with high-risk medications. The spotlight defines polypharmacy and the important NSQHS Actions to prevent adverse health outcomes for people with intellectual disability. |
| Supporting people with intellectual disability from admission to discharge | Admission and discharge from acute care are high-risk transitions of care for people with intellectual disability. This spotlight provides information on a range of considerations to support people with intellectual disability throughout an admission and through to discharge. |
| Comprehensive care at the end of a person’s life | People with intellectual disability often experience barriers when accessing end-of-life care, or they may be referred for palliative care services without consideration of active treatment. Health service organisations can address this by implementing the Comprehensive Care Standard Actions that address end of life. This spotlight provides resources specific to people with intellectual disability. |
| Intellectual disability, communication and positive behaviour support | People with intellectual disability require reasonable adjustments focused on communication and behaviour. Health services and clinicians can provide these reasonable adjustments as part of their healthcare delivery, using knowledge and understanding of intellectual disability, communication and behaviour support. |
| Working collaboratively with the disability sector | The disability sector has a significant role in supporting people with intellectual disability to access health care by sharing information that supports reasonable adjustments, involvement with comprehensive care planning and transitions of care. |
| Transitions of care | Transitions of care are points at which valuable information for safety, quality and continuity of care can be lost. For people with intellectual disability all transitions of care can be high risk, as information about reasonable adjustments may not be considered as essential clinical information. |