State’s most at-risk not getting care /by SHERADYN HOLDERHEAD
22/11/2013
Published in The Adelaide Advertiser, page 17
SHERADYN HOLDERHEAD POLITICAL REPORTER SOUTH Australians at “high risk” of harming themselves or others in the community are among more than 1400 people who are missing out on government services and care. Over the past five years, there has been steady growth in the number of people on the “unmet needs” list, according to Public Advocate John Brayley’s annual report. On July 31, there were 1421 people on the list under category one – homeless or immediate and high risk of harm to self or others – up from 1219 at the same time last year. The number topped 1000 for the first time in February 2012. In all four categories of need, people not receiving services reached 2841, up from 2763 at July last year. “The ongoing unmet need, particularly in the two highest and at-risk categories on this list, is a significant cause for concern,” Dr Brayley said. “It means people are being stopped from living their life the way they want to because support or accommodation is often a requirement for that to happen. It also has a significant impact on carers and families .” Dr Brayley said government was yet to implement last year’s Social Inclusion Board recommendations to introduce targets to reduce the list and to fund the needs of category one and two within a single budget cycle. He said both sides of politics must provide a plan for improving access in the next four years because the National Disability Insurance Scheme would not be accessible to adults in SA until 2018. Dignity for Disability’s Kelly Vincent said it was unacceptable and inexplicable that the list continues to grow. “The minister needs to take action to establish why unmet needs are not being met budgetary increases are meaningless if the funding doesn’t reach the people that need it,” she said. Disabilities Minister Tony Piccolo said SA was not the only state struggling to cope. “However, many if not all, of these issues will be addressed as we make the transition to the full NDIS,” he said. He said in the meantime last Budget allocated an additional $108 million over four years to disability services. Opposition disability spokesman Duncan McFetridge said: “We are talking to stakeholders about what we can do to meet unmet need and the cost of meeting it, which we understand to be in the tens of millions of dollars. “(If elected in March) we will look at ways to overcome that as quickly as we can.”
