NDIS

Many ActivOT occupational therapists are registered NDIS providers. We are also able to offer the services of highly skilled therapy assistants who can ensure our occupational therapy programs are completed to the highest standards.

Services and support for people with a permanent disability

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is our government’s way of delivering services and support for people with a permanent disability in Australia.

With the NDIS, people with a disability can choose supports and services to meet their individual needs, rather than having to fit into a one size fits all system.

Our Occupational Therapists are here to help our NDIS participants achieve their goals. We’re also here to assist people every step of the way on the NDIS journey, from getting started onwards.

You can read more about the scheme on the NDIS website.

NDIS Assessment criteria

All of our assessments address the six functional domains required by the NDIS:

·  Cognition – understanding and communicating
·  Mobility– moving and getting around
·  Self-care– hygiene, dressing, eating and staying alone
·  Getting along– interacting with other people
·  Life activities– domestic responsibilities, leisure, work and school
·  Participation– joining in community activities

As all of our assessments are tailored to individual needs, our occupational therapists will use their clinical judgement. Our aim is to determine the most appropriate assessment tools to meet the individual’s goals and desired outcomes.

All the assessments we undertake may involve various standardised and non-standardised assessments to provide the NDIS required clinical justification. These include:

Domestic and Community Skills Assessment DACSA
Bartel Index
Waterlow Pressure Scale
The Perceive: Recall: Plan and Perform System PRPP
Assessment of Functional Living Skills AFLS
Falls Risk Assessment Tool FRAT
Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales
Adaptive Behaviour Assessment System 3 ABAS3
Canadian Occupational Performance Measure COPM
Montreal Cognitive Assessment MoCa
World Health Organisation Disability Assessment Schedule 2 WHODAS 2.0
Model of Human Occupation MOHO
Mini Mental State Examination MMSE
Braden Risk Assessment Tool
Lawton’s Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale
Functional Independence Measure FIM
Functional Assessment Measure FAM
Allen’s Cognitive Assessment

With consent, information is also sourced from other professionals and carers involved, as required. This ensures a comprehensive assessment is completed, meeting all of the individual’s needs to achieve their goals.

Assessment types

We offer access transition assessments and reports to assist people in “getting on” the NDIS.

In order to access the NDIS, individuals need to demonstrate a significant impairment in one or more of the required functional domains. Our independent clinical reporting service helps do this.

This process takes between four to ten hours, depending on complexity.

Pre-planning assessment and reports include education about the NDIS system and how to best navigate it.

Pre-planning, as the name suggests, is completed prior to an NDIA planning meeting to clearly articulate the participant’s goals, ensuring they are in line with NDIS requirements.

We work with every participant to identify the services and supports needed to meet their goals including assistive technology (AT) and home modifications. This assists in accessing the right amount of funding in each of the three budgets (core, capital and capacity building).

This service minimises the risk of needing a plan review as everything is organised from the beginning.

We estimate four hours is required for us to complete this service.

We offer mid cost and high cost assistive technology (AT) assessments and reports required under the NDIS system. High risk AT requires an assessment by an Occupational Therapist or other suitably qualified professional.

For further information about how the NDIS defines and funds assistive technology, visit their website.

Our initial assessment for such services is approximately 2 hours in duration.

Equipment trials are usually around one hour per item.

We aim to work as efficiently as possible assessing for multiple equipment items at the same time where possible.

Please note: It’s an NDIS requirement for all assistive technology items to be trialled with the OT present.

Our high risk assistive technology reports are completed on the NDIS AT template form. Most items of AT require separate reports to meet the NDIS requirements.

A report for the first item of AT usually takes around three hours. Subsequent reports we estimate one to two hours each.

Our initial assessment is conducted within the home to determine your needs and the environment for use of the specific item.

This assessment usually takes us one and a half to two hours.

This is followed up by a second assessment (usually in the seating clinic of one of the suppliers) in order to select and trial appropriate item(s) and to take measurements for scripting. The supplier is then able to provide a detailed quote which can be attached to the OT report in order for the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to make a decision on the application.

These reports usually take between three to four hours to complete. Once again these reports are completed on the required NDIS template.

We are able to assist with prescribing and organising minor home modifications such as ramps up to 35mm high, grab rails, magnetic door catches, platform steps etc.

While no report is usually required by the scheme to implement these modifications it generally takes around two hours to provide the assessment/recommendations and then provide photographic specifications/diagrams to the builders and organise quotes for the participant’s approval.

An ActivOT occupational therapist will visit the participant at home to determine the scope of the modifications to determine which category it falls into. As a general guide if it requires an architect, structural changes and/or council approval, then it’s deemed complex modification.

Following this, further visits are needed for our occupational therapist to meet with the builder(s) onsite. Depending on the scope of works, two quotes may be required by the NDIA.

A rough guide for such OT services is approximately 15 hours for a complex home modification.

These time estimates include reports completed on the NDIA required templates.

Useful information on home modifications can be found on the NDIS website.

We can provide Housing Support Assessments such as through Supported Independent Living (SIL), Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA), and Individualised Living Options (ILO) assessments. Depending on complexity these can range from 15-25 hours in total.

We offer a specialist assessment and program for complex behaviour/mental health care.

This assessment typically takes between 25-40 hours.

We provide this service in order for you to:

  •  independently demonstrate achievements
  • pre-plan for the next NDIS plan period (as per pre-planning listed above).

A further home visit may be required for this service (up to two hours). The written report usually takes us around two hours to complete.

 Assessment costs

Please refer to our NDIS fees page for information about assessment costs.

For NDIA requirements for service agreements, please refer here.