Sudden changes to disability funding last March triggered protests. Now, clinicians say they're seeing concerning effects from the changes. Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas
Cuts to disability funding are creating worrying impacts, clinicians say - and one author of a government-commissioned report is pleading for the government to rethink their approach.
A New Zealand Medical Journal editorial published on Friday shows clinicians are increasingly worried about the adverse effects to people with intellectual disabilities, with the article outlining issues clinicians have observed in their practices.
It has outlined increasing concerns with problems from the funding restrictions, and outlines a range of issues reported by clinical practices.
"We have now seen several such individuals and families/whānau who, having made the decision to place their loved one in residential care, have had this option taken away," it said.
"For some, this has occurred after the individual with ID [intellectual disabilities] and their family have visited a home and even spent nights there as part of the planned transition. This has been devastating for all concerned as they return to an untenable situation."
Other people with intellectual disabilities had been unable to transition back into the community, due to the lack of funding, the report stated.
"Some individuals with severe difficulties who have been admitted to hospital have not been able to be transitioned back into the community due to the funding freeze.
"These individuals are now left in hospital, often in a general psychiatric ward - an inappropriate environment, where the person is vulnerable."
The report also raised concerns about higher levels of care within residential services now being unavailable when individuals with intellectual disabilities experience worsening mental health difficulties, as well as activities outside the home now being restricted.
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The concerns stem from changes in March last year, when the Ministry of Disabled People's support services budget lurched toward another blow-out, and it attempted to stem the flow of cash by limiting what disabled people could spend their money on.
That set off a series of changes, including Penny Simmonds, the then-Minister for Disability Issues losing the portfolio in April last year, and Louise Upston taking her place.
Upston commissioned an independent review into the system.
Plead for change
The report found the delivery of support services was inconsistent, policy settings were inappropriate and there was inadequate control of the budget.
That led to a pause on the rollout of demonstration sites for the Enabling Good Lives strategy - which was aimed at providing disabled people with more determination about how their funding is used - instead moving responsibility for support services into the Ministry for Social Development, and putting a freeze on residential care funding.
However, one of the New Zealand Medical Journal report's authors, Professor Richard Porter is urging the government to reconsider its funding decisions.
"I think that of course the system may not be perfect, and I don't argue with steps to try and improve the system to allocate disability support services, but freezing it in the meantime is causing really irreversible harm to people with intellectual disability in their families.
"It's causing also services to reconfigure because they effectively have less money, so they're having to close houses, rationalise their services, take away services which have been really very carefully planned to meet the needs of individuals with intellectual disability.
"People are having to move for really - for no reason, other than this financial constraint. So people who are settled in homes where they've lived for many years with people ... are suddenly having to move.
"So it's really causing huge suffering for people that we're seeing on a day-to-day basis, and my suggestion is that government pauses the freeze, allows things to continue as they were.
"And yes, they can attempt to design a newer and better system, but this is causing untold distress to a very vulnerable group of people."
Government responds
In a statement, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston disputed that there was a freeze on new placements.
"This Government is committed to supporting disabled people, which is why we provided a record $1.1 billion funding boost to disability support services in this year's Budget.
"I'm confident recommendations from the urgent residential price review initiated last year will support a fairer, more sustainable system for care, and I'm expecting further advice from officials soon.
"While we know transferring people with complex needs into residential settings has been a long-standing challenge, there is no halt or 'freeze' on new placements.
"Disabled people are continuing to enter residential care.
"I urge people with concerns to continue working with their local Needs Assessment Coordinator or Enabling Good Lives site," a statement from Upston's office said.
Fresh consultation has begun on options for changes to flexible funding.
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