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Intellectual Disability

 

Vision: To provide effective and efficient health care for people with intellectual disability (ID) by strengthening the skills of GPs and other health professionals, and improving system integration. 

There are over 13,000 people in the Central and Eastern Sydney region with intellectual disability, a high proportion of those being children. Families and carers are also impacted.

Compared with the general population, people with intellectual disability experience:

  • Over twice the rate of avoidable deaths
  • More than twice the rate of emergency department and hospital admissions
  • Hospital admissions costing twice as much
  • Higher rates of physical and mental health conditions
  • Lower rates of preventative healthcare

24% of Aboriginal young people living in the CESPHN region have been diagnosed with ID, a population group who already face multiple barriers to accessing healthcare.

People from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD) with ID in our region also experience similar barriers, highlighting the need for a tailored response. 

 

Project GROW

Supporting people intellectual disability to access the right care, in the right place at the right time,
Project GROW will provide primary health providers with: 

  • Access to Intellectual Disability Service Navigators who can provide practice support and guidance on referral pathways
  • Practical resources, education and training to enhance practice capacity and efficiency
  • Information on initiatives that include, uptake of Health Assessments, HealthPathways, NDIS and Digital Platforms

For people with lived experience of intellectual disability Project GROW will: 

  • Facilitate access to appropriate, quality health services 
  • Help to ensure equitable access to quality health prevention and health promotion programs

How can I get involved?

The GROW project team are eager to work with primary care providers to identify and address the challenges faced when engaging with this priority population.

For more information please email: IntellectualDisability@cesphn.com.au 

Click here to download the GROW Flyer