Choosing an NDIS occupational therapist provider, especially when you’re self-managing your plan, can be time-consuming and challenging. You might not even know where to start, but that’s where we come in. While self-managing or plan-managing gives you the freedom to choose your own occupational therapist, it also leaves you to work out who’s any good, often with very little to go on and not a whole lot of support. Most provider websites say more or less the same things, which doesn’t help much when you’re trying to decide between them.
Registered vs Unregistered Providers
Before delving into how to choose an NDIS Therapy provider, it’s important to make sure you understand the difference between registered and unregistered providers:
- A registered provider is an individual or organisation who has completed the NDIS registration process and provides services and support to people on the NDIS. If your NDIS support is NDIA-managed, you can only use registered providers to deliver your services using your NDIS funding as it ensures the service provider meets strict government quality and safety requirements. As a registered provider Optimal Therapy are legally required to report to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission – meaning we are held to a much higher standard of incident reporting, security screening and service delivery.
- An unregistered provider is any other individual or organisation that provides services or support without having completed the NDIS registration process. As the registration process takes time and is an investment, many individuals and organisations do not become registered providers. If you are self-managing your NDIS support, you do not need a registered provider, but you will need to do extra due diligence to ensure they have the right qualifications and experience to provide you with high quality support.
Outside of looking at skills, expertise and whether or not you get along with them, choosing the right NDIS occupational therapist provider for your situation can be made easier with the help of some crucial questions. There are a few that are really worth asking (including a couple that a provider might prefer you didn’t). The answers will help you choose well, and we’re here to help you do exactly that; not steer you anywhere in particular.
Do they have real experience with your situation?
General occupational therapy experience, and experience with your specific condition or need, are not the same thing. If you’re living with a neurological condition (like multiple sclerosis), need a complex housing assessment for home modifications, it’s important to ask directly how often they do that exact work. An NDIS occupational therapy provider who does it routinely will answer easily and specifically, and they will be able to reassure you who in their team has the ability to take the referral on.
What’s their actual availability?
This is the question that saves the most grief. Plenty of NDIS occupational therapy providers will say yes to a referral and then go quiet for weeks. Ask what their current wait time really is, and how quickly they respond once you’re a client. Vague answers here are worth paying attention to, because availability problems rarely improve after you’ve signed on.
Are they upfront about pricing and what you get?
You’re entitled to know what things cost and what you’re paying for. An NDIS occupational therapy provider who’s transparent about pricing, service agreements, and what a piece of work actually involves, is showing you how they operate generally. If getting a straight answer on cost is hard now, it won’t get easier later. You might even find out what occupational therapists can help with that you wouldn’t have expected.
If you’d like to better understand the expenses associated with certain support options, the NDIS pricing arrangements and limits can help. Note that the NDIS requires all support be related to your disability; help you achieve your goals and represent value for money.
Will they communicate the way you need?
Some people want to manage everything themselves. Others want the OT to liaise with family, a coordinator or a plan manager. Ask how they communicate and whether it fits how you actually want to work. The right provider adapts to you rather than expecting you to chase them for updates on your own supports.
A question they might not love
Ask what happens if it isn’t working, or if you turn out not to be the right fit for them. A good provider will tell you honestly when your needs sit outside what they do well, and won’t take on work they shouldn’t just to fill a calendar. That kind of candour tells you more about quality than any amount of polished marketing, and it’s worth more to you over the life of a plan.
It also worth asking what happens if my therapist is on leave and I need something urgently, or what happens if my therapist leaves – will someone take over my care. Quality providers should have a plan in place to address both of these circumstances when they arise.
Your first steps to choosing an NDIS occupational therapy provider
There are a few things you can do to prepare for these conversations. If you’ve narrowed your search down and are wanting to compare, you can do some more research on each provider’s team, services, facilities and even reviews. One of the most important things you can do though is to have a strong understanding of your needs and goals and being clear on these before you reach out.
If you’re choosing an NDIS occupational therapy provider, and want to ask the team at Optimal Living Therapy any of these questions directly, please do. Call us on (08) 6117 4266, get in touch through our contact page, or submit a referral through our NDIS referral form.
