Report of the Research Project: Underpinning the Development of Future Intellectual and Developmental Disability Nursing Standards: For Professional Association Of Nurses In Developmental Disability, Australia (PANDDA) INC.

The advent of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in Australia brings about a major change in policy towards the funding and delivery of services to people with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD). Nurses with expertise in working with people with IDD will be at the forefront of the uncharted intersection between health and social services. This is a crucial historical moment to reposition and build the capacity of nursing of people with IDD. For this research, interviews were conducted with 18 nurses from across the Sydney basin who worked in a range of disability-specific roles. There were variable insights into the content and aim of the Standards, but broad acknowledgement of the role and importance of Standards for specialist areas of nursing, in particular with the advent of the NDIS. Where participants had detailed insight into the content of the Standards, they reported the value offered through having a guideline of what was expected from the intellectual and developmental disability nurse.