The National Disability Insurance Scheme and people with severe and persistent mental illness/psychosocial disability: A review, analysis and synthesis of published literature

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this scoping review was to map and synthesise peer-reviewed literature reporting on the Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme and psychosocial disability. Method: The review followed the rigorous and systematic protocol of Arksey and O’Malley. Five databases were searched and, using strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, publications were identified for inclusion. Data were extracted from publications, tabulated and graphically presented. A qualitative analysis was also completed. Results: Twenty-eight publications were included. While a wide range of issues were covered across this literature, only eight publications specifically focused on the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Almost half of publications were only author commentary without analysis of external data. There were no evaluations and a paucity of publications documenting the lived experiences of people with psychosocial disability or their families. Qualitative analysis identified 59 separate themes. These were grouped using a modified strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats framework. While it was acknowledged that the Scheme has the capacity to enrich people’s lives and enhance service integration, themes relating to weakness and threats dominated within this literature. These included a variety of existing or predicted problems such as poor integration of a recovery philosophy into the National Disability Insurance Scheme, complex application processes creating barriers to access, concern for those ineligible or not accessing the National Disability Insurance Scheme, the need to ensure National Disability Insurance Scheme plans address specific, changing participant needs and that services will be available to provide required supports. Conclusion: Given the significant impact of the National Disability Insurance Scheme on the lives of individuals and the wider mental health service system, there continues to be surprisingly limited peer-reviewed literature reporting on experiences and outcomes of the Scheme for people living with psychosocial disability. Future research examining outcomes and shedding light on National Disability Insurance Scheme experiences of people with psychosocial disability and their families are particularly important for ongoing development and evaluation of the Scheme.