Accessing Therapy Services in the NDIS - What to Expect

Do I need a Therapist?

Due to your disability, you may experience difficulties across day to day life.

You may have trouble walking, talking, eating, or speaking. You may have challenges with your morning routine, getting to the shops, preparing meals or maintaining your home. Perhaps you have obstacles in your physical environment, or difficulties coping in busy settings.

Any difficulties you may have are individual to you. You may have a strong sense of what you find most challenging, but sometimes it can be hard to find a solution on your own.

Instead of a “one size fits all solution”, you require an individualised approach to address your difficulties. 

A therapist can support you in finding individualised strategies to make every day life easier for you. These strategies and interventions will be unique to your needs and factor in you as a person, your environment, activities and the people in your life.

Who is a Therapist?

A therapist is a university-qualified practitioner with specialised expertise in completing assessment and intervention/treatment for a range of conditions and illnesses. 

A therapist can work on their own, or be part of a multi-disciplinary team, meaning therapists from different professions work together.

A therapist can also be referred to as an:

• Allied health professional
• Allied health practitioner
• Allied health provider

These terms are interchangeable so don’t worry about getting it wrong!

A therapist working in the NDIS may be a:

• Occupational Therapist
• Physiotherapist
• Speech Pathologist
• Exercise Physiologist
• Behaviour Support Practitioner
• Dietitian
• Psychologist
• Music Therapist
• Key Worker
• Podiatrist
• Orthopist
• Social Worker
• Rehabilitation Counsellor

How is Therapy provided in the NDIS?

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) do not provide therapy services. This means therapists do not work for the NDIA. 

Instead, NDIS participants are allocated funding in their NDIS Plans to access services, including therapy services.

Funding is typically allocated in the Improved Daily Living budget in Capacity Building Supports. A few therapy services will be funded in the Improved Relationships and Improved Health and Wellbeing budgets. Speak with your therapist about their fundings requirements.

How do I connect with a Therapist?

MyCareSpace offer a FREE concierge service to connect you with the therapists you need.

Reach out to our Connections Team today!

Get in touch

Alternatively, browse your options in the MyCareSpace Provider Directory.

Scheduling an Assessment with a Therapist

Each provider schedule their appointments slightly differently. You may be in touch directly with your therapist prior to the appointment, or you’ll speak with their administrative team. This depends on how the provider structure their referral intake.

In addition to your name, contact details, address etc, the provider will typically ask for your:

• NDIS Number
• NDIS Plan Start Date
• NDIS Plan End Date
• NDIS Goals
• Diagnosis or Condition/s that is recognised by the NDIS
• Reason for referral

The therapist may complete a risk assessment to ensure it is safe to complete a face to face visit.

The therapist may also request for any previous reports or medical documents to be provided prior to the appointment. It is important to provide these to your therapist as:

• This provides them with a clear picture of your disability/conditions. This can reduce the time taken in the initial assessment discussing your medical history.
• Existing reports/documents familiarises the therapist with your existing medical and allied health team. This can guide how the therapist approaches your needs.
• The risk of doubling up supports is reduced. This lowers the likihood of the same issue being addressed by multiple therapists. This is important to make the most out of your funding.

Why is it Important to Provide Reason for Referral Details?

Sharing information about why you have made the referral to the service provider ensures your needs align with their service delivery.

Providing a reason for the referral ensures the therapy provider is able to allocate the right therapist for you to address your needs. It ensures the therapist has a clear understanding of what you are looking for.

This also provides you the opportunity to clearly communicate your expectations for service delivery, and what you want to achieve with input from this service.

Service Agreement with Therapy Providers

Your therapy provider will request for you to sign a service agreement, either prior to the initial assessment or at your first meeting.

A service agreement is a legal document signed by you as the participant, and the provider.

A service agreement ensures the following:

• The participant and provider have the same expectations of what supports will be delivered
• Both parties agree on how the supports will be delivered
• You get what you are paying for
• You are protected against unexpected events

Participants might involve a nominated person (such as a participant’s family member or friend) to sign on their behalf, or may sign the service agreement themself.

Read more information on Why Do I Need A Service Agreement here.

Read more

I haven’t heard from my Therapist before my Appointment…Is this Okay?

In some cases, the first time you interact with your allocated therapist may be at your initial assessment. This may be because you have been speaking with their administration team to schedule the appointment.

Do not fear if you haven’t spoken with your therapist in the lead up prior to your first appointment. As part of their assessment, they will gather all of the background information they need, as well as review documents and reports you have provided.

Does One Appointment = One Assessment?

It is not necessarily the case that a whole assessment can be completed from start to finish in one appointment.

A therapist MAY be able to complete an assessment in the initial assessment. This depends on the a number of factors:

• The type of assessment required
• The number of needs being addressed
• The complexity of the needs being addressed

Multiple appointments may be required to complete one assessment. Alternatively, the assessment may require one or more face-to-face appointments, as well as follow up phone calls with various stakeholders for information gathering.

You may receive documents or forms to complete before or after the assessment. This depends on the information the therapist requires from you.

How Long will the Appointment Last?

There is no set time for the duration of an assessment.

The therapist should give you an indication of the time required for the initial appointment prior to the appointment. To be safe, allocate up to two hours to two and a half of your time for the first appointment.

Preparing for the Initial Assessment

If the appointment is scheduled to be completed in your home, consider the following:

• There are minimal distractions in the home
• There is somewhere for yourself and the therapist to sit for a discussion. A dining table is ideal.
• You have arranged for a support person to be present if needed. This may be a family member, friend or support worker.
• You have provided clear parking directions for the therapist, particularly if you live on a main road or parking is limited around where you live.

If the appointment is being completed at the therapist’s office or out in the community, consider the following:

• Is there parking nearby? Is this metered? Does the provider have parking available?
• What are your public transport options?
• Are there accessible features in the environment?
• Is there a bathroom available if needed?

What to bring to the Initial Assessment?

NDIS Plan

While you are not required to share your NDIS Plan with anyone, it is helpful for your therapist to view the funding allocated available across your budgets to determine how they proceed with interventions. 

For example, an Occupational Therapist prescribing a mid cost hi-lo adjustable bed and mattress will need to review your Assistive Technology budget to see whether this is a stated item with funding already allocated or not, as this will determine if there is a need to submit a request for approval to the NDIA or not.

It is also helpful for your therapist to verify your goals and confirm your plan dates.

Always keep the hard copy of your NDIS Plan sent to you by the NDIA. If you do wish to share a copy of your NDIS Plan with a provider, you can:

• Share a PDF version via email
• Allow the provider to take photos of your NDIS Plan
• Provide a photocopy

​

Reports & Documents

Sometimes it may be difficult to share reports or documents with your therapist prior to the initial assessment via email if you only have a hard copy. This is okay!

With your consent, your therapist will be able to take photos of these documents, or scan the document using their smartphone.

Next Steps: The Assessment Phase

Congratulations! You have gone through all the steps involved in setting up an assessment.

A follow up resource has been created which provides a general overview of what to expect for of the assessment phase. Access NDIS Therapy Assessment - What to Expect here.
Access resource

Remember, MyCareSpace offer a FREE concierge service to connect you with the therapists you need. Reach out to our Connections Team today!

Get in touch