Intellectual Disability

GROW is a CESPHN service that aims to enhance the role of primary care providers to meet the complex health needs of people with intellectual disability. This project is a component of the National Roadmap for Improving the Health of People with Intellectual Disability. 

GROW provides:

• Online and face-to-face CPD events 
• In-practice training for health providers and practice staff. This service can be customised to meet the needs of your practice and can include preventative health, annual health assessments and management plans, MBS items, communication tips, local specialised intellectual disability services, and case discussions, annual health assessments, and reasonable adjustments.
• Quality Improvement Activities to improve internal systems, communication with patients, increase screening, immunisation and uptake of annual health assessments and data collection.
• Intellectual Disability Service Navigators who can assist with referral pathways, and advice of relevant resources for providing care for people with intellectual disability. 
• An Easy Read community page on rights to healthcare and advocacy tools for people with intellectual disability

The Comprehensive Health Assessment Program (CHAP) is now freely available for all to use and can be found on Department of Health’s website.

Contact our Service Navigators 

Jennifer Brennen – South-Eastern Sydney region 

Ph: 02 9304 8613

Clare Woods – Sydney region

Ph: 02 9304 8637

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. Fill in this EOI to book an in practice session.

Email for more information and to subscribe to the GROW Intellectual Disability eNewsletter.  

GROW Flyer.

“Supporting people intellectual disability to access the right care, in the right place at the right time.” 

HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY

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

In addition, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and people from multicultural backgrounds in our region are population groups who already face multiple barriers facing health care, highlighting the need for a tailored response.