The NDS Helpdesk team have chosen the top five questions and responses from the past month. These questions cover worker screening, service cancellation, programs of support, supporting participants at independent assessments, and therapy dogs.

Question 1:

Can you advise on the rate a physiotherapist should charge for clinical pilates?

Answer 1:

The Price Guide does not generally dictate the nature or how therapeutic supports are delivered. This would mean that where Pilates-based physiotherapy will assist the participant to achieve their disability-related goals (as opposed to general health goals) and the outcomes identified in their plan, and is delivered by a qualified physiotherapist, then this would be able to be claimed at the relevant rate.

The Price Guide (p. 101) notes that:

'Maintenance care can be claimed against a participant’s plan, where the primary purpose is to provide ongoing support for a participant in order to maintain a level of functioning including long term therapy/support required to achieve small incremental gains or to prevent functional decline.'

It would be important to establish how the clinical pilates is assisting the participant in terms of functioning due to their disability - as opposed to the improvements that those in the community (without a disability) are likely to expect from attending clinical pilates. In others words, the therapy needs to be related to the disability support needs of the participant.

Question 2:

We have just been through an audit and one thing identified, under Practice Standard Div 3: Support, was that our support-coordinated clients do not have participant support plans. How we can implement this?

Answer 2:

As you have identified, part of the Core Module of the NDIS Practice Standards (which is applicable to all providers) is Outcome 3.2: Support Planning.

As per the NDIS Practice Standards and Quality Indicators, the associated outcome is that:

'Each participant is actively involved in the development of their support plans. Support plans reflect participant needs, requirements, preferences, strengths and goals, and are regularly reviewed.' (p. 13). The same page lists the indicators which should be demonstrated.

The NDIS Practice Standards Interpretive Guide [PDF | Accessible] supports providers to prepare for self-assessment against relevant standards. Consideration of Outcome 3.2 begins on p 62. We recommend consulting the relevant sections of both the Standards document as well as the NDS interpretive guide.

Question 3:

Can a provider charge for time taken to attend an NDIS meeting, against a person's plan? What about the time taken meeting with the client/their family prior to an NDIS meeting to discuss the upcoming planning meeting?

Answer 3:

A provider is able to claim against a participant's plan to attend an NDIA meeting as long as the support is requested by the participant and the participant has agreed to the support being claimed (noting restrictions on funding flexibility between support types).

A provider is also able to claim for time spent with a participant and their family as part of reviewing their progress, identifying future activities and developing a general schedule of supports. The participant would need to agree to this support being claimed.

Question 4:

Can you advise on the likelihood of a participant with psychosocial disability being able to get NDIS funding for: a massage chair for relaxation; and support to be relocated to live near a beach to help with her mental health?

Answer 4:

A massage chair, if eligible, would fall under ‘Capital’ supports, see the  Assistive Technology, Home Modifications & Consumables Code Guide. While the Guide notes the list of supports is not comprehensive, the vast majority of supports have a specific function to allow a person to complete daily activities, and represent ' "value for money" in that the costs of the support are reasonable, relative to both the benefits achieved and the cost of alternative support' (p. 5) – it may be unlikely a massage chair for the described purpose will reach this threshold. As this item is likely to cost over $1500, it is very likely an OT assessment would be required prior to purchase.

Regarding moving house, if the participant has a support coordinator, they may be able to assist in the process of considering housing options. The NDIS is unlikely to fund what are considered to be everyday costs incurred that are not related to a person’s disability, and so a removalist is unlikely to be funded. Participants moving house should inform the NDIA of a ‘change of circumstance’, via this NDIS Change Circumstances form.

The participant may be eligible for the support of a Psychosocial Recovery Coach. These supports help participants to ‘build capacity and resilience through strong and respectful relationships’ and are ‘designed to be able to maintain engagement through periods of increased support needs due to the episodic nature of mental illness’ (p. 84, NDIS Price Guide).

Question 5:

Is it a requirement of claiming TTP that prices are published on a provider’s website, or just published in general?

Answer 5:

On their website. The NDIS Price Guide states that one of the three criteria for providers to be eligible for TTP is 'they must publish their service prices prominently on their website, and make them available to participants, including participants who are not their clients, and the NDIA on request' (p. 32).