Checking your feedback from the Tasmania test

Key points

We started a test of our new computer system in Tasmania in November 2022.
We learnt a lot from our Tasmania test to help us improve our new computer system, making improvements in real-time.
The NDIS test in Tasmania: insights from our evaluation report summarises everyone’s experience in the Tasmania test.

Since we started using our new computer system in Tasmania, we asked for feedback on the test in different ways, to make sure we heard from as many people as we could.

We surveyed more than 1,000 people involved in the Tasmania test and spoke to hundreds of stakeholders through focus groups, virtual and in-person engagement sessions.

We asked participants, providers, NDIA staff and NDIS partners to tell us about their experience in the Tasmania test. We asked for feedback in different ways, to make sure we heard from everyone involved. We wanted to find out:

What worked well.
What could be improved.
What do we need to do to help the rest of Australia prepare for the introduction of our new computer system.

The NDIS test in Tasmania: insights and our evaluation report is now available. In the report you can read about the test, how we listened, what we learnt and what we are going to do next.

Read the report:

Checking your feedback

Survey responses

We had survey responses from more than 400 people with disability, participants and their family and carers. The surveys were sent to participants, their family members, and carers. Of the responses we got back, 155 came from participants. We also surveyed Tasmanian providers and received close to 150 responses.

Focus groups, virtual and in-person engagement sessions

We’ve held focus groups with our Participant Reference Group and held virtual and in-person community engagement sessions in Tasmania. Over 340 people, participants, families, and carers attended these activities.

We also held 24 Tasmanian specific engagement sessions for general providers, support coordinators and plan managers with over 1,859 registered attendees. Throughout the test we also held 25 Tasmanian provider Q and A sessions to capture feedback which has contributed to the emerging findings.

Tasmanian disability representative and carer organisations

We asked Tasmanian disability representative and carer organisations to run focus groups with participants and their supporters.
These organisations sent out 26 surveys and held 43 focus groups with more than 140 participants, families, and carers of people with disability.

What we learnt from participants

Many participants said they had a positive experience in the Tasmania test. Participants also told us they liked working with NDIS partners to understand the community and mainstream services available to them. They also liked meeting the NDIA planner who approves their plan. However, many said the language we used was confusing and we needed to do more to explain the test, what was changing and what they needed to do.

What we learnt from providers

While providers found the regular engagement approach beneficial, feedback indicated need to do more consultation with provider to help improve how PACE and provider operating systems are integrated, to make sure the participant experience is not impacted by the transition. We also needed to be clearer on what’s changing and support them with more information to share with their organisations and participants.

View the What we heard page to find out more.

We know we need a new computer system that is faster and easier to change than our current system.

We also know we have more work to do to get everyone ready to use our new system before we start using in other parts of Australia.

What we learnt through the test has helped us plan and prioritise how we can keep improving our computer system and how we work in Tasmania. The feedback from the test is also helping us plan for how we can get ready to start using the system nationally.

The transition to our new computer system and the introduction of practice and process improvements will be guided by:

The outcomes of the NDIS Review.
The Disability Royal Commission .
The more than 6 co-design projects currently underway
What we learn from the continuing Tasmania test.

We will keep working with the disability community on what we’ve learnt on the Tasmania test. We’ll also continue regular co-design and engagement activities as we plan use of our new computer system nationally.

Some of the work we have already started includes:

Making it easier for you to find the information you want to know, when you need to know it.
Simplifying how we talk about how new system and processes so it is easier for your to understand what it means for you.
Creating specific information for participants and providers to learn about and prepare for our new computer system.

Our aim is to start using our new computer system nationally by the end of September 2023.

Before we make a final decision on when national expansion will start, the NDIA Board and Senior Leadership Team will review how ready we are in July 2023.

We will then confirm the start date for a proposed 18-month transition to PACE.

Before we do, we’ll share what we’ll do next and how we’ll help everyone connected to the NDIS to prepare.