Responsibility: Australian Government
Response: Accept in principle
Status: Further work required
What has been achieved to date
The Australian Government is committed to improving education and training to undergraduate health professionals to provide better quality care to people with cognitive disability. The Intellectual Disability Health Capability Framework was published in April 2024. The Framework serves as a pathway for further development of cognitive disability health education and training.
What the Disability Royal Commission said in the final report
The Australian Government Department of Health , Disability and Ageing should:
- expand the role of the Intellectual Disability Education and Training Expert Advisory Group to develop an implementation plan for the cognitive disability health capability framework, including key steps for embedding the capabilities from the framework in curricula in education and training programs for health practitioners across all training stages
- develop a monitoring and evaluation framework to coordinate and measure delivery of the expanded capability framework and its implementation.
Australian Government Response July 2024
The Australian Government is committed to supporting health professionals to provide better quality care to people with cognitive disability. The Intellectual Disability Education and Training Expert Advisory Group is currently providing advice on the existing work to develop supporting resources for the Intellectual Disability Health Capability Framework, which was finalised in December 2023.
The Australian Government is committed to supporting health professionals through improved training to provide better quality care to people with cognitive disability.
Immediate expansion of the Framework without taking appropriate time to consider the scope and respective sectors’ needs would carry significant risks. These include diluting the impact of the current Framework in addressing the specific needs of people with intellectual disability and limiting the ability to address differing needs of people with other forms of cognitive disability. The Framework could serve as a pathway for further development of cognitive disability health training.
More recommendations
View progress on other recommendations made by the Royal Commission.