Focus area 2 – Creating liveable and safer communities

a) Partnering, consulting, collaborating, co-designing and co-creating with people with disability, carers and advocacy organisations to understand and respond to people’s concerns

Action 1: Engage with people who have a disability to ensure new policy development and materials include accessibility, are useful and fit for purpose

Responsible: System Performance Support Branch, Ministry of Health

Year due: 2026

Measure: Feedback from users on accessibility and usefulness.

Action 2: Engage, partner and consult people with disability, peak or advocacy organisations, including:

• Translating research into improvement of the public dental system
• Developing the next NSW Health strategic plan (post Future Health 2022 – 2032)
• Developing or reviewing policies, processes and models of care for people in regional, rural and remote NSW
• Developing and implementing the NSW Health Pathology Accessibility and Inclusion Implementation Plan
• Responding to youth health policy issues
• First 2000 Days Framework implementation
• Reviewing clinical guidance (A Clinicians Guide: Caring for people with gastrostomy tubes)
• Developing the NSW Feedback Guidance through co-design
• Developing the NSW Health Visitation Guidance
• Reviewing and updating NSW Health policies for preventing and responding to violence, abuse and neglect
• Developing the NSW Health Paediatric Services Plan
• Developing the NSW Cancer Plan

Years due: 2026-2029

Responsible:

• Centre for Oral Health Strategy
• Strategic Planning, Economics and Evaluation Branch
• Regional Health Division
• NSW Health Pathology
• Healthy Families and Communities Branch
• Healthy Families and Communities Branch
• Agency for Clinical Innovation
• Healthy Families and Communities Branch
• Healthy Families and Communities Branch
• Healthy Families and Communities Branch
• Healthy Families and Communities Branch
• Cancer Institute

Measures: Evidence in policies, processes, models of care and planning; documented engagement methods; number of engagements with people with disability; stakeholder participation in consultations.

Priority groups: Children and young people with an intellectual disability, their families and carers. People with intellectual disability in regional, rural and remote communities.

Action 3: Identify opportunities to inform communication campaigns with formative audience research from people with disability

Responsible: Strategic Communications and Engagement Branch, Ministry of Health

Years due: 2026-2029

Measures: Digital metrics; social media analytics; actions or initiatives arising out of research and subsequent strategies.

b) Delivering health care in physically accessible and welcoming settings

Action 1: Develop an audit tool to assess dental facilities and identify and address barriers to providing accessible care in the community-setting

Responsible: Centre for Oral Health Strategy

Year due: 2028

Measure: Tool developed.

Action 2: Review Part C: Design for Access, Mobility, Safety and Security of the Australasian Health Facility Guidelines

Responsible: Health Infrastructure

Year due: 2027

Measure: Review completed.

Action 3: Develop NSW Health Visitation Guidance, advocating for accessible communication about visitor access to health services

Responsible: Strategic Planning, Economics and Experience Branch, Ministry of Health

Year due: 2026

Measure: Published in accessible formats in line with Accessible Communications Policy.

Action 4: Regular monitoring, follow up and statewide analyses of local health district facility ‘People Accessibility’ level as reported in the Digital App

Responsible: Strategic Capital Planning and Asset Management Branch, Ministry of Health

Years due: 2026-2029

Measures: Number of NSW Health facilities – each People Accessibility level. Action taken in response to classification. Number of facilities - issues reported. Number of facilities - significantly improved accessibility.

Action 5: Assist in facilitating reasonable work site and role adjustments by collaborating with Job Fitness and Human Resources teams

Responsible: HealthShare NSW

Years due: 2026-2029

Measures: Flexible working score for employees with disability in PMES on par with overall HealthShare NSW result (2022 PMES = 6% lower). Health and Safety score for employees with disability in PMES on par with overall HealthShare NSW result (2022 PMES = 6% lower).