Intellectual disability and inclusive health care

The National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards support the right of people with intellectual disability to equitable health care. People with intellectual disability experience significant barriers in accessing safe and quality care evident through a higher mortality rate, increased incidence of preventable illness and more frequent hospital admissions.

In this section, you will find guidance and resources for implementation of the NSQHS Standards, to support healthcare rights and provision of inclusive health care.

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Standards and healthcare rights

The implementation of the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards supports the rights of people with intellectual disability to equitable health care.

People with intellectual disability are included under the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights with the same rights to: Access, Safety, Respect, Partnership, Information, Privacy and Give feedback.

Australia's Disability Strategy 2021–2031 recognises that application of the ‘social model of disability’, as identified in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, is critical to improving healthcare outcomes for people with disability, including for people with intellectual disability. The Strategy recognises attitudes, practices and structures can be disabling and act as barriers preventing people from fulfilling their potential and exercising their rights as equal members of the community.

Four Steps to Inclusive Health Care: With Me and About Me

The Commission has developed four steps to assist clinicians in the provision of inclusive health care. Each step requires inclusion of the person receiving care.

Reasonable adjustments

A reasonable adjustment is a change to an existing approach or process which is essential to ensure a person’s access to a service. Reasonable adjustments for people with disability are required under the Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the disability inclusion legislation of each state and territory.

Making reasonable adjustment for a person’s disability creates an inclusive environment and facilitates meeting the NSQHS Standards, for example, providing safe and high-quality care.

Downloadable resources

The Four Steps to Inclusive Health Care resources below have been developed to raise awareness of the needs of people with intellectual disability in health care.

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Intellectual Disability Actions for Clinicians Fact Sheet
2023
Fact sheet or brochure

Healthcare professionals can use this fact sheet to inform making reasonable adjustments for a person’s intellectual disability to create an inclusive environment and facilitate meeting the NSQHS Standards.

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With Me - Intellectual Disability Actions for Clinicians Infographic Poster
2023
Fact sheet or brochure

This poster can be displayed in health services to inform clinicians about people with intellectual disability and the provision of inclusive health care that is safe and high quality.

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About Me - Questions to ask about Reasonable Adjustments Fact Sheet
2023
Fact sheet or brochure

An Easy Read document for people with intellectual disability. It aims to support people with intellectual disability, their supporters and clinicians to talk about the person’s disability and what they need to make their health care accessible.

Topics
Cognitive impairment
Health literacy
Healthcare rights
Partnering with consumers
Person-centred health care
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