The first two meetings of a national “Community of Practice” in brain injury – being piloted in Sydney – were held in Parramatta on October 9th and Chatswood on December 4th. Sponsored by the National Disability Insurance Agency and facilitated by Brain Injury Australia’s Executive Officer, one of the community’s core purposes is to expose Local Area Coordinators, Agency planners and other staff responsible for the National Disability Insurance Scheme to external expertise and experience in brain injury.

The “Clinical Lead” for the Community is Dr. Kath McCarthy – a rehabilitation physician specialising in traumatic brain injury. Kath was senior staff specialist at the Westmead Brain Injury Rehabilitation Service from 1992 until 2015, when she went into private practice. She is a past President of the Australasian Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine. She is currently on the board of the Rehabilitation Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand – the specialty society for her profession.

The representative for allied health on the Community is Robina Jones, who has worked across the public and private sector as a Social Worker for 17 years. For the past six years, she has been the Senior Social Worker at the Liverpool Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit – the largest specialist brain injury rehabilitation facility in Australia.

(Once the Community is established, Brain Injury Australia will also deliver a national training package in brain injury for the Agency, also to be piloted in Sydney.)

The next meeting of the Community will be held in Parramatta on 26th February. Consider this an open invitation to all subscribers to Brain Injury Australia’s newsletter to engage with the Community about your experience of the National Disability Insurance Scheme – the good, the bad and the ugly. Please do not hesitate to contact Brain Injury Australia on 1-800 BRAIN1 (1-800 272 461) or via email; admin@braininjuryaustralia.org.au