From the desk of the CEO

From the desk of the CEO MARCUS STAFFORD Times of change require strategic vision, steered by the steady hand of confident leadership. The disability world is currently going through significant change via the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The Scheme represents Australia’s most significant change within the disability sector, and will mean that people living with a disability will have the choice and control over how they receive their services and support. But with any change of this scale, there are teething problems, delays and sometimes confusion. I hope, through our continued communication, you feel informed about the impact of the NDIS and what it means for you. The Scheme has been in a trial phase in WA since 2014 in three key areas and in the next couple of years, the whole of WA will be covered. The next step started this month, with trials expanding to cover Armadale, Murray and Serpentine- Jarrahdale and Bayswater, Bassendean, Chittering, Toodyay, York and Northam. Prior to the roll-out in your area, we will be in touch to help you with every step of the process. The reality, however, is that the NDIS won’t deliver as much as we’d like for everyone, most notably for the newly diagnosed and low support Members; and for our Members aged over 65, it won’t deliver at all. That’s where our service provision to people with other neurological conditions comes in. While it’s nothing new and a service we’ve been delivering for years, it takes on an even greater importance in the current climate. Basically the NDIS ‘dollars’ that flow from people with other neurological conditions, and their NDIS funding, will finance our ability to serve people with MS who aren’t eligible for inclusion in the Scheme. This will allow MSWA to more formally extend our service provision to the people we are here to serve, and continue our growth plans and ambitions. I believe now is the perfect time to embrace a new-look logo that builds on MSWA’s history and reputation, but presents a more contemporary and accurate look and feel. Put simply, we need to tell the story of who we are now and what we do. So, I am delighted to present this first Bulletin to you with our new logo and branding, which you would have seen from our cover page, but here it is: So change definitely awaits us, and we are ready and excited by the opportunities that this change brings. The strong foundations that we have built over the last decade position us perfectly to continue to provide more and more services to people with MS, and to cement our leadership position as the highest funder of research in Australia. We recently consolidated this position, with a record breaking contribution of .2 million towards MS research. That includes a second year of funding for the five WA based research projects that received fellowships from MSWA in 2015. This important work ranges from bio-medical to applied research and leaves me with an optimism I have not felt before. We also continue to grow and develop our Member Services Team, delivering physiotherapy, nursing, occupational therapy and care support work – and all points in between, for people with MS and all neurological conditions. Services have been going up 12% year on year, with the highest quality rating. I am also really pleased with our progress for new developments across WA which are all in various stages of progression: • our Bunbury Community and Health Services Centre will be completed before Christmas; • our northern suburbs accommodation and services facility in Butler is currently in the hands of the planners and is next in the pipeline; and • once the various building requirements have been met, we will commence the build on our Shenton Park accommodation facility. Where some see the problems, we only see the opportunities. We say that now, but it hasn’t always been that way. A decade or so ago we were well intentioned, with lofty goals, but little substance. Today we are acknowledged as a leading organisation with the finest team of over 600 staff. That allows us to relish the opportunities that the new world of the NDIS marketplace presents. It allows us to continue the strong growth of Member services and to continue to lead research funding in Australia. Importantly it also allows us to say, with confidence, that we will support you on every step of your unique journey. Whether it’s about grappling with the difficulties of new diagnosis, struggling with the planning process of the NDIS, or something else…we will be there for you. 4 | MSWA BULLETIN SPRING 2016

A message from the General Manager – Member Services SUE SHAPLAND RN, BN “We should always have three friends in our lives - one who walks ahead who we look up to and follow; one who walks beside us, who is with us every step of our journey; and then, one who we reach back for and bring along after we’ve cleared the way.” Michelle Obama There is so much going on at the moment both here and overseas it’s hard not to get caught up in the hype and feel that at times we live in a slightly crazy world; but also a pretty lucky country. I know you should never talk politics, but the possibility of Donald Trump being the next President of the USA is a bit of a challenge for me! The ongoing random acts of terror make us both concerned but also grateful that for the most part we live in a country buffered from much of this unpleasantness. Watching the news isn’t always enjoyable although the Olympics provided some much needed respite. I think we can often focus on the negatives and then fail to appreciate what we can be grateful for both now and into the future. We are really lucky we have subsidised access to all of the MS therapies; many countries including the UK don’t. This provides greater choice and the opportunity to switch therapies if things aren’t going as planned. Our health system has its faults and issues but overall it’s pretty good and the standard is high and access relatively easy. Although if you have been ramped in an ambulance waiting to get into a busy ED that may be harder to reconcile! The NDIS is another reason to be glad we are living in Australia. When this scheme reaches full roll out, over 400,000 people with a disability will be participating and receiving funding to access the supports they need. Whilst access is currently limited to designated trial sites, the planning for full roll out is underway; see our double page NDIS spread in this issue on page 8. We hear many positive stories, from Members and others, who are now in receipt of individual funding for the first time. This continually validates the decision for this massive policy change. MSWA has had another fantastically successful financial year! The amazing job done by our Fundraising and Events Teams is envied by most. As a profit for purpose organisation, this provides additional income for us to support research and to grow supports and services for our Members. We delivered a 12% increase in Member Services hours compared to last year and our staff has grown steadily to accommodate the increased demand of NDIS and WA NDIS funded plans. We have, and will continue to grow our programs and supports. Just recently, we added yoga in Bunbury and massage in Margaret River and Northam to our suite of programs. Construction of our Bunbury Services Hub is steaming ahead and we look forward to completion towards the end of the year; the regional staff and Bunbury Outreach Groups can’t wait! This is really very exciting and MSWA has funded the land purchase and build through our own funds. We recently farewelled Marilyn Sylvester, long term Manager of Physiotherapy. Marilyn had been here at MSWA for 23 years and saw much change and great improvements in what we could offer, and staffing levels, during her term. We wish her well in her retirement and thank her for all her hard work and dedication. The weather has been pretty cold and the flu season has been upon us. I hope you have managed to keep warm and stay well and I know we are all looking forward to having an enjoyable spring! Please remember our Member Services team is here to provide you with information, advice and support; please don’t hesitate to give us a call on 08 9365 4888. MSWA HISTORY PROJECT The History Project has been brewing for some time (since 1987, actually, when MSWA moved from Clontarf to our new Centre here at Wilson), but now we are getting really serious about it all. We have assembled a small team of writers and set the rather ambitious target of completing the project by the end of next year. Now we are asking for your assistance. If you have any photos you think might be useful, you can mail them to us at MSWA Locked Bag 2 Bentley DC WA 6983. Should you like to write to us about your recollections our e-mail address is: bulletin@mswa.org.au MSWA BULLETIN SPRING 2016 | 5