Welcome to the

Welcome to the Autumn edition of our Member Bulletin. A message from the General Manager – Member & Client Services NICOLA WASHINGTON First, please let me introduce myself as the new General Manager of Member & Client Services. I joined MSWA last November just before Christmas, so I was lucky enough to get to several wonderful events and meet some of our Members. I have previously worked across several customer service sectors and have a passion for improving the customer experience, so I am looking forward to what we can achieve for our Members as we move forward in 2019. I am very excited to join such a wonderful organisation which plays an important role in our community. Sue Shapland is now General Manager of Strategic Supports and Residential Options. The split in the roles is due to the successful growth the organisation has gone through over the past few years and will enable us to pursue new opportunities as we continue to grow into the future. Our team continues to be busy with the roll out of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). There are still some significant delays with the processing of plans through the NDIA, but we are continuing to work with them to find ways to process plans as quickly as possible. The next NDIS roll out areas will commence on 1 July, 2019. This roll out includes Great Southern (Albany), Central North Metro (Western Suburbs) and the South East Metro (Victoria Park and Surrounds). A full list of suburbs can be found at https://www.ndis.gov.au/understanding/ndisrollout/western-australia; or contact our MSWA NDIS team. If you are new to the NDIS, transferring from a WANDIS plan, or renewing your current plan, please do not hesitate to contact our team who are here to help you through the process and get the best out of your plans. Our team can be contacted at ndisenquiries@mswa.org.au Some very exciting news for the start of 2019. Our brand new Butler Centre was completed in January 2019 and we are very excited to be offering services out of this wonderful building in our Northern Suburbs. The Service Centre is truly amazing and fitted out to the highest standard. If you would like to find out more or book a service, please call 9365 4888 or email enquiries@mswa.org.au I am sure 2019 is going to be another busy and successful year for MSWA. Our main objective is to provide you with excellent services and ensure you have the information, support and advice you require. Your feedback is important to enable us to continuously improve our services, so if you would like to provide any feedback please contact us on 9365 4888. MSWA QUALITY EVALUATION 2018 SUE SHAPLAND, GENERAL MANAGER – STRATEGIC SUPPORTS AND RESIDENTIAL OPTIONS As part of our contractual compliance with both the Department of Communities Disability Services and the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), MSWA was reviewed by external Quality Assessors in November and December 2018. The audit team reviewed the various DoC-DS programs including our supported accommodation facilities, Outreach Groups and in-home supports. They looked at a sample size of various documents, talked to over 60 Members and Clients, met with seven carers and chatted with staff across the various locations. In this instance they visited all four accommodation sites, five Outreach Groups, including Bunbury, and met or chatted with both individuals and groups to get feedback and comments. We were assessed against the six National Disability Standards. It was very pleasing to learn that we again comply with all the standards and there were no ‘required actions’ which are areas of concern requiring prompt action to rectify issues. We received many positive comments via feedback provided through the final report: “The organisation’s services and environments were described by the large majority of clients and families as being so important, valuable and enjoyable that they had become a major part of their lives, and using its services was something they greatly looked forward to.” We also received five opportunities for service improvements, which are suggestions made by the audit team, based on some feedback. We have taken on board these comments and will make improvements with a focus on improving communication with clients and families. Under the NDIS, a new Quality and Safeguarding Framework will be implemented in 2020; this will require more comprehensive external reviews and some changes within our current systems and processes. We are already working on some of the changes that will be required. We would like to thank all the Members, their carers’, and our staff, who participated in the audit. As always, your feedback is important to us and helps us make improvements. Want to access research articles? Here are the places you can access up to date research articles relating to multiple sclerosis: • Vitality – Our monthly research focussed e-newsletter • Our website – https://mswa.org.au/news/latest-news • Right here as part of your Member magazine Bulletin. It includes great research articles and information every quarter. Just email communications@mswa.org.au if you would like any further information. 6 | MSWA BULLETIN AUTUMN 2019 MSWA BULLETIN AUTUMN 2019 | 7