Operating Efficiency – What do NDIS Service Providers need to improve?
Disability service providers are facing the same constraints as commercial businesses. They all:
Struggle with where to invest to make the most difference in growth and sustainability of their organisations
Worry about their profitability, pricing and costs to ensure they deliver the best value to their clients
Are overwhelmed by data, reports, audits and administrative systems
Establishing a new NDIS service organisation, or operating one, has three main issues. (According to the National Disability Services “State of the Disability Sector Report 2018).
‘Information, communications and tech strategy. This is now the number one business capability that organisations wish to improve in the next 12 months.
Costing and Pricing,
HR strategy and workforce planning are the others.
The level of operating distress is dependent on the size of the organisation. According to the report very small providers are more confident than their larger competitors. They are confident that they will be able to provide NDIS services at the current prices. Sole traders feel that they can deliver a quality service based on the current price list.
The cost of compliance is an issue for all. Quality management and operations teams are being asked to meet the cost of audit, compliance and support for the new Quality and Safeguarding Framework. This cost is exaggerated if changes are made or new guidelines are released. Do you have a folder on a shelf that is paper based, unused, and almost always out of date? This adds to the cost of compliance and the likelihood of an error.
A business operating system with interactive step-by-step guidance of processes and policies, is a great step forward in improving efficiency and saving costs.
Efficiency is linked to profitability and productivity. Ensure your staff are compliant, have time to deliver a quality service and operate efficiently in growing your organisation to meet the needs of the NDIS sector.
The report was released at the 2018 NDS CEO Meeting in Melbourne where Centro ASSIST was a Silver Sponsor.