December 2005 - Issue 17

Table of contents:

2004-05 data collection issues

There were a number of key issues identified in the 2004-05 DS NMDS collection:

  • hours recorded against the service outlet are greater than 2,000 hours per week. If the average working week is 40 hours, this would indicate that there are 50 full time staff working solely for this outlet
  • service users receiving services in the reference week, but recorded hours are zero. If a service user receives a service in the reference week, you should record at least one hour of service
  • service users receiving more than 168 hours of service in the typical week or reference week. An individual service user cannot receive more than 168 hours of service per week, as 24 hours in a day multiplied by 7 days in a week equals 168 hours in a week.

Refer to your Data Guide for more information on these topics.

A focus on quality data

Missing data

Congratulations and thanks for your agency’s efforts in providing quality data for the 2004-05 collection. The 2004-05 collection was generally of a high standard. However, in comparison to 2003-04, the level of missing data in the 2004-05 collection increased for:

  • staff hours in both the reference and typical weeks
  • hours of service received in both the reference and typical weeks
  • the level of help/supervision required for self-care (question 11) and carer arrangements (question 12)
  • service type outlet operation - weeks per year, days per week and hours per day.

It is imperative that your CSTDA reporting is as accurate and complete as possible, as high quality data will ultimately benefit people with a disability.

Keeping our records up-to-date

By now you should have received a letter from DSQ about our annual reconciliation process. This process aims to ensure that we have the most up-to-date information on CSTDA funded services provided throughout Queensland.

We need to be as accurate as possible with our information so that:

  • DSQ can report to the Commonwealth to obtain a fair share of funding for Queenslanders with a disability
  • your General Service Agreement is updated to ensure you get the funding you need to keep supporting people with a disability
  • you won’t be asked to provide information on services that have ceased operating.

If you find that the types of services you provide are different to the services you are funded to provide, contact your Community Resource Officer who will help you update your General Service Agreement.

Helpline call statistics

Requests for Help 2005-2006

July 2005 to December 2005

  • Phone: 889
  • Email: 256
  • Total: 1145

Monthly average

  • Phone: 148
  • Email: 43
  • Total: 191

Diary dates

December 2005

  • Reference week: 25-31 December

January 2006

  • Deadline for second quarter data lodgement: 31 January 2006

Online Data Collection (ODC) - data entry for 2005-06

The DS NMDS Team has discovered a number of issues with the data lodged by agencies. One of the most common issues stems from data entry operators incorrectly entering surnames in the first name field, and vice versa. This generates an incorrect Statistical Linkage Key (SLK), which may prevent DSQ matching service users and services received.

If your agency does not use first and last names (i.e. only SLK details) please ensure that you are constructing the service user’s SLK correctly. An SLK is the second, third and fifth letters of the service user’s surname, followed by the second and third letters of the first name.

Contact the DS NMDS Helpline if you have any queries.

Authorising your data in ODC

To lodge your agency’s DS NMDS data with DSQ, you must authorise your data. Here’s how to do it in ODC.

  • Login to ODC as an authorising officer. If your agency doesn’t have an authorising officer, contact your system administrator.
  • Select ‘Reports’ from the menu on the left hand side of the ODC main screen.
  • Select ‘Authorise DS NMDS quarterly data’. The ‘Filtering options’ screen appears.
  • Select the relevant quarter from the ‘Quarter’ dropdown box and the relevant year from the ‘Year’ dropdown box.
  • Click on ‘To be authorised’, and then click on ‘Display users’. If a message stating ‘There are no results found for the provided parameters’ appears, your data has already been authorised, or there is no data entered. Contact the DS NMDS Helpline if you believe this is incorrect.
  • Click on the ‘Select all’ link under the ‘Display users’ button. This will select all the service users for authorisation.
  • Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click on the ‘Authorise’ button. You will receive a message stating ‘The items you selected have been authorised’.

Your data has now been authorised.

Access the ODC Authorising Officer package online at http://www.disability.qld.gov.au/ds-nmds/publications/.

ODC account issues

ODC has a large number of user accounts. In order to improve system efficiency, ODC system administrators should remove all ODC users who are no longer engaged by the agency.

All ODC users should have their own account and should not use other staff members’ accounts. Contact your system administrator to request an ODC account.

Chapter 6 of the DS NMDS Data Guide explains privacy and data principles that apply to the 2005-06 collection.

DS NMDS help available

If you have a query and cannot find the answer after checking the DS NMDS Resource Kit, either call the Helpline or send an email to us.

Remember, your call is important, so if the Helpline is busy, leave a message on the voicemail and we will respond at the first opportunity.