National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)

What is the NDIS?

The National Disability Insurance Scheme or NDIS for short is a relatively new system of support available to people with disability, their families and carers. The NDIS is a national scheme supported by both the national and participating state and territory governments.

The NDIS is designed to support Australians under 65 who have permanent and significant disabilities and for many people, it will be the first time they receive disability support.

The NDIS attempts to take a lifetime approach to care by helping people early on in life to improve their longer-term outcomes.

The NDIS is not a system of welfare but rather a network that can provide people with information as well as connect them with various support groups such as specialist doctors, nursing services like Vital Home Health Services as well as support groups.

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How We Can Support With NDIS Services

The care and services our care team provides are second to none the below list are the many ways Vital Home Health Services can support you with the NDIS:

  • Can help you organise an NDIS plan
  • Assist in-home modification
  • Assist with household tasks including gardening
  • Assist with life stages and transitions
  • Assist with personal activities, including activities of daily living and personal hygiene
  • Provide assistance in the development of life skills
  • Provide care support and coordination
  • Help to organise specialised accommodation
  • Provide high-quality community nursing care
  • Linkage with day groups and centres including travel and transport
  • Assistance within and out of home respite
  • Advocacy for other services
  • Aged care placement advice
  • Translator and interpreter services

NDIS Funding & What does it cover?

In terms of what the NDIS does cover, funding is available under three main categories:

1. Capital funding is for purchasing one-off items such as equipment.

2. Capacity funding for skill-building and core funding which covers day to day support such as personal care and nursing.

3. Core funding support that enables a participant to complete activities of daily living and enables them to work towards their goals and meet their objectives.

Why choose Vital as your NDIS Service Provider?

Vital Home Health Services are an approved NDIS provider, under the NDIS Quality and safeguards commission for the provision of services including:

· Community nursing

· Household tasks

· Assistance with daily personal activities

· Life stage assistance, life skill development

· High support coordination

Our team of dedicated and experienced professionals will work with you and the NDIS to navigate the system to provide you with access to the support and services you are funded for. 

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Free Guides and Factsheets

The NDIS has developed a range of great resources to support those who are eligible or think they might be eligible for the NDIS funding, you can access them here: (click the text to instantly access the guides)

· About the NDIS Fact Sheet (PDF)

· Supporting Families and Carers (PDF)

· Accessing the NDIS Fact Sheet (PDF)

You can see all of the resources the NDIS has to offer here.

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NSW Health COVID Resources for People with Disabilities

NSW Health launched new accessible resources in relation to COVID-19. The site provides accessible information on topics including:

·         What is COVID-19?

·         Getting tested

·         How to self-isolate

·         Going to hospital

·         Supporting people with disability

·         Information in other languages

View them all here

Frequently asked questions about the NDIS

The purpose of the NDIS is to make support available to people with disability, their families and carers. The NDIS is designed to support Australians under 65 who have permanent and significant disabilities and for many people, it will be the first time they receive disability support.

The NDIS attempts to take a lifetime approach to care by helping people early on in life to improve their longer-term outcomes.

There are many items that may be covered under the NDIS, these include:

· Daily personal activities

· Transport to enable participation in the community, social, economic and daily life activities

· Workplace help to allow a participant to successfully get or keep employment in the open or supported labour market

· Therapeutic supports including behaviour support

· Help with household tasks to allow the participant to maintain their home environment

· Help to a participant by skilled personnel in aids or equipment assessment, set up and training

· Home modification design and construction

· Mobility equipment, and

· Vehicle modifications.

Learn more here

Depending on your individual circumstances and how you elect to receive your funding the amount differs case by case.

The NDIS Price Guide may be helpful when you are working out what you are willing to pay for support. This sets the maximum price that providers registered with the NDIS can charge for specific supports. View the NDIS Price Guide here.

Alternatively, if you are a Vital Home Health Care Client, we will ensure you get what you are entitled to in regards to your NDIS funding.

Your support coordinator will continue to discuss your needs with you, ensure you have the supports you need and make any changes if required. 

They will work with you to review a crisis plan that may include understanding any adjustments to your key family supports, considering alternative support options or providers and maintaining more regular contact in case your circumstances change.

The way in which you receive support from your support coordinator may change. They may contact you over the phone or by email, instead of in person. 

Your support coordinator will be able to claim for supports they provide to you and for you over the phone and by email.

Talk to your support coordinator about how they can support you during this time.

Source Support Workers and You – NDIS

If you were unable to do your own meal preparation because of your disability before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and you do not have other support to assist with this and your situation is the same now, then the preparation and delivery fee component of prepared meals may be claimable.

You will still need to pay for the cost of the food yourself. Daily living expenses like groceries, meals, rent and bills continue to be a personal expense.

We can make changes to your funding through a change of circumstances plan review, so your plan meets your needs during this time. Special teams of staff in the NDIA are available to help and discuss your circumstances. Call us on 1800 800 110 if you need urgent assistance.

You can use the checklist in the ‘Using your NDIS plan’ Booklet‘ on page 9 to learn more.

Your Core supports budget is the most flexible. In most cases, you can use your funding across any of the Core support categories to ensure you can get the support you need during this time.

As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting NDIS participants during this time, the NDIA has worked with supermarket retailers to make sure NDIS participants wanting support to grocery shop, have priority access to home delivery services. 

This means, as an NDIS participant, from Monday 6 April, you can purchase grocery items online to be delivered to your home.

Source Support Workers and You – NDIS

Yes. You can ask your provider to assist you with different disability-related tasks, like helping you with online grocery shopping, or visiting the pharmacy to ensure you have adequate supplies of medication.

Your Core supports budget is the most flexible. In most cases, you can use your funding across any of the Core support categories to ensure you can get the disability-related support you need during this time.

Daily living expenses like groceries, rent, bills (including internet charges) are a personal expense. You cannot use your NDIS funding to pay for day-to-day items. 

Source Support Workers and You – NDIS

If you require significant care and support, think about how many support workers are needed to keep you safe, and reduce the risk of physical injury.

Consider what is essential to your care and, where you can, reduce the number of people coming in and out of your home. If you can’t reduce the number of people, consider trying to keep the amount of time they spend in your home to a minimum. 

You might like to see how your rostered supports can be staggered throughout the day, to minimise the number of people in the house while also meeting your support needs.

If you live in a shared environment, consider whether the same paid support workers could also assist the other people in your home, while still meeting your needs.

Consider which of your services and supports are non-essential, and see whether these can be delivered by telepractice or other means, like email or phone.

If you have support workers coming and going, it’s important they wash their hands regularly, and clean door-knobs, light switches, taps and other surfaces thoroughly during their visit.

People with disability may need to have close contact with their support workers. Wherever possible, we encourage you to reduce unnecessary physical contact and follow health advice wherever possible.

The Department of Health has published information about social distancing.

Support workers need to comply with their employers’ Work and Health Safety obligations.

Source Support Workers and You – NDIS

Providers are expected to manage the delivery of supports to NDIS participants in line with their obligations under the NDIS Code of Conduct and relevant NDIS Practice Standards.

If your support worker or carer is self-isolating, your provider will be in touch and organise a replacement worker or carer to attend to your needs.

It’s important that you discuss what your essential needs are with your providers, to ensure they are being met.

Source Support Workers and You – NDIS

The Australian Government Department of Health has created a webpage containing COVID-19 advice for people with disability.

The webpage explains how people with disability can protect themselves from COVID-19, including through good hygiene, physical distancing, avoiding public gatherings, isolating if they are sick, and finding safe and alternative ways to get the services they need.

This advice supports and promotes the NDIS principles of empowering people with disability to exercise choice and control.

We strongly encourage you to share this webpage, and the information it contains, with the NDIS participants you support.

The NDIS Commission has a COVID-19 webpage containing information for people with disability, and we have issued two fact sheets for NDIS participants about COVID-19.

1. Our first COVID-19 NDIS participant information fact sheet explains:

  • What to expect from their NDIS providers
  • Their rights and how to make a complaint about a provider
  • What resources are available from the NDIA
  • Where to find more information and resources about COVID-19.

2. Our second NDIS participant fact sheet explains what to expect from providers and workers during COVID-19, including some possible changes to the way supports and services are delivered during this time.

The Disability Information Helpline provides information and referrals for people with disability who need help because of COVID-19. It can also assist families, carers, and support workers.

The helpline is available by calling 1800 643 787. If you are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech impairment, you can also call the National Relay Service on 133 677. It is available Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm (AEST) and Saturday and Sunday 9am to 7pm (AEST). It is not available on national public holidays.

Contact us for more information on how we can help

Contact Vital Home Health Services