The Program for Appliances for Disabled People

Background

The Program for Appliances for Disabled People (PADP) was introduced into New South Wales in the 1980s. PADP’s aim is to supply equipment, aids and appliances to people with a life-long or long-term disability, thus supporting their independence within the community. 
The types of aids provided include manual and electric beds and pressure care mattresses, hoists, manual and electric wheelchairs, cushions and continence equipment, among other items.
These appliances are directly linked to ensuring the basic human rights of disabled people are met. Australia made the important step of ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Disabled People in September 2008, and this long overdue document makes the successful implementation of schemes such as PADP even more vital to Australia’s interests. It could be argued, in fact, that PADP is not only a necessary vehicle for ensuring that people with disabilities in NSW receive the equipment they need, but in fact is also an obligation under an international convention to which we are now party to.
Unfortunately, PADP has been plagued with problems and the budget desperately needs to be reviewed. The waiting lists for appliances such as electric wheelchairs are far too long, and have left some people housebound for 18 months or more. This not only increases the isolation of people with disabilities, but also their dependency on social services and carers.
It doesn’t take much imagination to understand the situation for someone who is housebound for long periods of time is nothing short of dire, and it’s not a great leap to then ponder the immense strain that such a lack of resources places on those who care for a disabled person. What it does take is a great leap of compassion for PADP to become a system that enables people with disabilities to access the equipment they need, in order that they too can live fulfilling lives.
“Without adequate and timely provision of wheelchairs and mobility aids, people with disabilities will continue to descend into a desperate cycle of social isolation,” Ian Cohen told the NSW Parliament in June 2008. “All we need is $13.5 million to quell the silent and debilitating atrocities perpetrated upon people with disabilities in New South Wales. That should be compared to the more than $100 million given by the Government to World Youth Day—$13.5 million is all that is needed to get those people out of their terrible state of neglect.”
By May 2008, PADP was experiencing a backlog of approximately $6-7 million dollars in funding. To make matters worse, the government showed very little knowledge about the scheme or how much the people on the waiting lists were suffering without the necessary equipment.
The government’s 2008-09 Budget looked more like a wholesale slashing of public services as a way of shoring up its AAA rating, rather than a means to accepting responsibility for economic mismanagement. We implore the government to see that injecting funds into public programs such as PADP will help to stimulate the economy in more ways than one. Firstly, it will enable people with disabilities to contribute to the economy by allowing them find employment. Additionally, dependency on services is reduced, therefore lowering the costs in social services to the government. It’s a win-win situation, but it takes commitment.
Surely it is much more worthwhile to invest in a scheme that enables people to independently take care of their own health and financial wellbeing, than to keep the waiting lines of PADP so long that people with disabilities lose their dignity and self determination. An injection of at least $13.5 is essential if the PADP scheme is to deliver the necessary equipment it was set up to within a reasonable time frame.
Ian Cohen was instrumental in calling for the inquiry into PADP that was held by the Parliament of NSW between June and October 2008. Submissions and results of the inquiry are available by clicking HERE.

Reforms put forward by the Greens

The following reforms must be included in the PADP scheme to fulfil its intended agenda to the people within NSW who have a disability. They are:

1. An additional $15million of recurrent funding to be added to the PADP budget and regular funding reviews;
2. Area Health Services to have a consistent approach and PADP policy;
3. The required co-payments to be abolished;
4. Better inventory of returned equipment and equipment loan pools to be established;
5. Specific campaigns that address indigenous and culturally diverse communities to be implemented, in order that both access and knowledge of the program is increased within these communities;
6. Better complaints and grievance mechanisms implemented for clients on waiting lists;
7. More efficient payment of suppliers. This in turn has the effect of enabling smaller and more geographically diverse suppliers to work under the PADP scheme, therefore making it easier for many clients to access the program without having to travel to major centres in order to be fitted for equipment;
8. PADP information to be accessible to people with limited or no vision;
9. Department of Health to keep applicable data on clients that are in acute hospital beds;
10. All reforms recommended in the Oakton review to be implemented within 6 months.

The questions raised by Ian Cohen in the NSW Legislative Council can be found on the links below:
28 August 2008: http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/lc/qalc.nsf/18101dc36b638302ca257146007ee41a/4b0ee762c3b69b98ca2574b30017d817!OpenDocument
10 April 2008:
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/lc/qalc.nsf/18101dc36b638302ca257146007ee41a/6219b05fadbe1528ca257427000ab7bc!OpenDocument
6 November 2007:
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/lc/qalc.nsf/18101dc36b638302ca257146007ee41a/2be2ceff7925044dca25738b0021aadb!OpenDocument

Timeline of Program Of Appliances For Disabled People (PADP) action by Ian Cohen MLC

2007

October 2007

25 October 2007
Program of Appliance for Disabled People

Disabilities advocates call for the PADP Budget to be doubled. Ian moved in Parliament to have an independent review of the PADP program by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, which the Government had refused to release.
The PADP program was developed to provide equipment, aids and appliances to people with disabilities to enable them to live in the community and increase independence. The type of aids provided include manual and electric beds and pressure care mattresses, hoists, manual and electric wheelchairs, cushions and continence equipment etc.
It is widely recognised that many eligible people are waiting over 12 months for essential equipment, or missing out altogether.
Ian Cohen called for the Price Waterhouse Coopers Report to be laid upon the table of the House within 14 days. Ian’s motion forced the Government to release this important report.
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LC20071025009

November 2007

6 November 2007

Ian Cohen directs questions on PADP to the Attorney General, and Minister for Justice representing the Minister for Health (1157).
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/lc/qalc.nsf/18101dc36b638302ca257146007ee41a/2be2ceff7925044dca25738b0021aadb!OpenDocument

2008

April 2008

8 April 2008

Ian Cohen highlights the dire situation faced by many people with disabilities due to the chronically under-funded PADP scheme in the NSW Parliament.
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LC20080408031

9 April 2008

Call for dramatic funding increases to PADP

Some progress made supporting NGOs in the bid to fund this program to the point where all people in need of specialist equipment actually get what they are entitled to.
Ian’s office – backed by a Pricewaterhouse Coopers report – calls again for a dramatic increase from the current 2007/08 budget of $24.2M to around $50M.
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LC20080409032

10 April 2008

Questions Raised in the Legislative Council

Ian Cohen raises questions regarding PADP in the NSW Parliament’s Legislative Council (1654).
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/lc/qalc.nsf/18101dc36b638302ca257146007ee41a/6219b05fadbe1528ca257427000ab7bc!OpenDocument

June 2008

18 June 2008

Ian Cohen asks the Treasurer to respond to a number of questions posed back in April regarding funding of PADP, and whether or not he has looked into the program and referred it to the relevant Minister.
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LC20080618023
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LC20080617060

August 2008

28 August 2008

Ian Cohen directs questions to Attorney General, Minister for Justice, and Acting Minister for Education and Training representing the Minister for Health regarding the Oakton report (2078).
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/lc/qalc.nsf/18101dc36b638302ca257146007ee41a/4b0ee762c3b69b98ca2574b30017d817!OpenDocument

September 2008

3 September 2008
PADP Freedom of Information Requests

After a 4-month wait, the Department of Health responded to the Freedom of Information request put forward by Ian Cohen’s office. The documents reveal waiting lists of the PADP lodgement centres across 8 Area Health Services have significant number of clients waiting longer than 12 months for basic equipment such as wheelchairs and hoist devices.
The Minister’s approach to transparency has a potentially serious impact upon the potential of the upcoming inquiry to improve the program.  

17 September 2008
Sydney Morning Herald lifts lid on Department of Health’s reluctance to hand over PADP report

Sydney Morning Herald FOi Reporter Matthew Moore reports the Office of Ian Cohen’s stoush with the Department of Health over a Freedom of Information request. The report made clear the Department of Health and the previous Health Minister’s attempts to bury a report on the Program of Appliances for Disabled People (PADP) and are attempting to hide the report from the current parliamentary inquiry.
http://blogs.smh.com.au/newsblog/archives/freedom_of_information/020051.html

23 September 2008

Ian Cohen gives a speech in the New South Wales Parliament, congratulating the Federal Government for ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and calls on the New South Wales to raise the standard of care for disabled people living in the State by drastically increasing funding to the PADP scheme.
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LC20080923054
24 September 2008
Ian successfully forced the Government to release key audit reports on the PADP scheme to enable the Committee to review the inequity between the NSW Area Health Services in relation to equipment provision.
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LC20080924006    

October 2008

1 October 2008
PAPD Inquiry Findings

Ian successfully forces the Government to release key audit reports on the PADP scheme to enable the Committee to review the inequity between the NSW Area Health Services in relation to equipment provision. The public hearings of the Inquiry heard from a range of people with disabilities, advocacy agencies, carers, equipment suppliers and government departments, contributing to the examination of how the program can be improved and inequalities addressed.
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LC20080924006   

3 October 2008
Sydney Morning Herald Highlights failure of PADP

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the audit of the PADP highlights the failure of the program, saying that: “upper house Greens MP Ian Cohen said it was a shame that the committee only received the report after it had spoken to the relevant government agencies at the inquiry.
“He said the Government had been "less than co-operative in releasing the audit", which showed "significant failure of proper process and proper auditing" and "bureaucratic ineptitude".”
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/audit-highlights-failures-of-disability-program/2008/10/02/1222651267656.html

15 October 2008
Findings of (PADP) Inquiry

The PADP Inquiry heard from a range of stakeholders about people with disabilities suffering at the hands of a poorly managed and under-funded equipment program. Waiting lists obtained by Ian Cohen’s Office under FOI and Government Audit reports extracted from the Department of Health in response Ian’s call for papers helped drive media interest and public awareness of the PADP program and its importance to people with disabilities. The Inquiry’s examination of PADP and the work of Ian’s Office propelled the issue forward in the mind of the Department.
   
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/10/01/1222651172323.html
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/audit-highlights-failures-of-disability-program/2008/10/02/1222651267656.html