Organisation Submission – Northern Sydney Local Health District

I am a service provider delivering carer services

Barbara Lewis

Northern Sydney Local Health District

I have been Managing the NSLHD Carer Support Service for the past 12 years. This is funded by Ministry of Health NSW and there are equivalent of my team across the state. We have worked collaboratively to provide response to the Integrated Carer Support consultation. I would like to highlight my concerns around the changes to My Aged Care and NDIS that impact the Carer significantly, particularly around respite. With the social policy reforms that underpin the community care sector I believe the impact upon Carers is significant, an example is respite – a Carer has a right to have a break however the cost and allocation of Care hours make this impossible for many Carers. I also believe the approach by Centrelink and many recent examples of Carer journeys demands that Centrelink be part of the Integrated approach to Carer Suppport eg why should a Carer be told they cannot have the carer pension because their family member is in hospital for a long period of time, and have to go through the process of applying for the Aged Care pension! It truly lacks compassion.
I am happy to discuss further, I would recommend a working party to review these aspects it is more than whether you fund Carers Australia and give counselling. It means ensuring Carers rights are respected.