A programme designed by a Northland agency to help disabled people get better access to services they need is being piloted in Auckland and may be rolled out across the country.
NorthAble has been running its NorthAble Navigator Service (NNS) for eight years, a programme designed to give disabled clients and their families more support to access the services they need. It sees locally based professionals - navigators - working alongside the clients and their families to get the best for them and leave them with a toolkit for future access to appropriate services.
NorthAble general manager Noel Matthews said it was one of a kind, despite being a relatively simple idea. He said after the Ministry of Health gave the programme the thumbs up, it has accepted NNS to use as a pilot in Auckland.
Mr Matthews said NorthAble knows the programme works and he's looking forward to it helping Auckland's disabled community.
Three ministry officials visited Whangarei last October to see how NNS was run and left impressed. After consultation with the Ministry of Health, EnCompass, a tailored version of the NNS service, is being piloted at Auckland-based Taikura Trust.