Background: The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care recommends the development of reasonable adjustments to Comprehensive Care Standard to better suit the needs of people with intellectual disability. Method: An audit of adults with Down syndrome attending a mainstream internal medicine outpatient clinic was undertaken to…

School nurses have reported stress and worry caring for young people experiencing mental health problems, but why this occurs and how they respond has not been well-explored. In this study researchers generated a substantive theory of the experiences of secondary school nurses who encountered young people with mental health problems using the…

Background: In a cohort of adults with intellectual disability who were followed for up to 16-years, we investigated characteristics associated with frequent emergency department (ED) presentations, hospitalisation, and psychiatric care. Method: Community-dwelling adults with intellectual disability residing in Queensland, Australia, were followed…

Background: Informal carers often play an integral role in the lives of people with intellectual disability (ID) residing in the community. In this study, we explored the extent to which carers of people with ID believe that the health care needs of the person they care for are being accommodated by general practice. Method: Semi-structured…

The aim of this study was to closely examine the experiences of non-Indigenous academics in marking a single assessment task designed to promote cultural safety practice in a health professional programme. In recognition of institutional racism and significant health and wellbeing disparity in Indigenous wellbeing, "cultural safety" is…

The feasibility of addressing the mental health needs of young people at school is influenced by how staff perceive their role, and the role of schools, in mental health care. Using qualitative methodology, this study investigated the roles of Australian school teachers and counselors. The aims were two-fold: (i) to explore how teachers and…

This paper examines the provision of youth targeted Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) and sexual health interventions in the rural Australian context by examining the perspectives and experiences of a range of community stakeholders. Sixteen participants undertook one-on-one semi structured interviews. Four key themes emerged from the…

Background: People with intellectual disability experience elevated rates of mental ill health. Yet they face barriers in accessing appropriate individualised mental health care. Further research is required to learn about the capability of the mental health workforce to facilitate access and participation in quality mental health care for this…

Mental health difficulties amongst children and young people increasingly dominate the British government agenda. Despite the 2014 Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice extending statutory provision up to the age of 25, the mental health needs of older young people are often overlooked in educational guidance. For many young…

Background: People with intellectual disability and chronic and complex support needs often require unique models of care that are intensive and expensive. How these supports can be continued within a rapidly changing policy and funding context in Australia, has not been fully determined. Method: This descriptive study utilised a retrospective…

Introduction: People with intellectual disability (ID) experience barriers in accessing mental health care. Recommendations have been made to implement specialist intellectual disability mental health (IDMH) services in Australia. However, there is limited evidence to inform service development. Method: Family members and support persons of people…

Background: People with intellectual disabilities at the end of life are at risk of receiving inadequate and inequitable end-of-life care. This study explores their unmet needs, opportunities for person-centred care and experiences of health service use. Methods: Qualitative interviews with 26 experienced health professionals and carers were used…

An undersupply of generalists doctors in rural communities globally led to widening participation (WP) initiatives to increase the proportion of rural origin medical students. In 2002 the Australian Government mandated that 25% of commencing Australian medical students be of rural origin. Meeting this target has largely been achieved through…

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised huge concerns for the mental health of an entire generation of children. But the pandemic may represent only the tip of a mental health iceberg -- an iceberg we have ignored for far too long. For the first time, "The State of the World's Children" examines the mental health of children and adolescents.…

Background: Issues of health and law are closely connected in people with chronic illness but as yet there is little emphasis in current health services funding and planning on establishing formal links between these two important areas. Context: The Mater Young Adult Health Centre and Health Advocacy Legal Clinic partnership offers an example of…