In Sydney Local Health District we aim to ensure everyone has equitable access to health services that meet your individual health needs.

In order for health care services to be accessible and safe for people with disability, reasonable adjustments sometimes need to be made. This could be by altering the way we provide care to ensure we are meeting a person’s individual care needs.

We aim to remove barriers for people with disability. This includes changing the ways services are delivered, ensuring that protocols and procedures work equally well for people with disability, and ensuring that staff are equipped with the necessary training and resources to deliver effective, timely and quality healthcare to people with disability.

This may include:

• Adjusting communication methods by taking into account the patient’s communication needs 
• Addressing the patient’s ability to cope with different environments, changes in routines, unfamiliar procedures and unfamiliar staff 
• Addressing the patient’s need to change the ways in which care or treatment is provided 
• Allowing extra time to provide the support that is required 
• Including and supporting the patient’s carer, family member, guardian or disability support staff as expert care partners 
• Providing patient information in alternate formats such as ‘easy read’ documents.

You are able to raise your individual care needs with your treating team at any time. If you feel that your needs are not being met, please talk to the Nursing Unit Manager (NUM) on your ward or to your treating team.

The District also has a range of services to assist our staff to better support people with disability, including intellectual disability, during their hospitalisation. We also work closely with other stakeholders, like the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to ensure people with disability can access the services they need to return home safely.