Allied health includes supports you can get to:

• make and keep you healthy
• build the skills you need to do more things for yourself
• reach your goals
• make changes to your home so you can keep living there
• receive assistive technology.

Assistive technology can:

• make it easier to do things
• keep you safe.

Assistive technology might be:

• an aid or piece of equipment
• a system to use.

We call people who provide these supports and services allied health workers.

You can find allied health workers in places like:

• hospitals
• schools
• community health centres.

Allied health does not include care from doctors, nurses or dentists.

In your NDIS plan, there is a part called ‘How will I be supported?'

This part will help you work out who will support you to reach your goals.

This may include an allied health worker.

You might need help from more than 1 allied health worker.

You can find out more about allied health workers and how they can help you on the ‘Allied Health Supports’ page of this website.

Sometimes it can be hard to find allied health workers who:

• meets your needs
• are right for you.

Not all allied health workers work with people with disability and complex support needs.

People can need support for different things, such as:

• disability
• physical health problems
• mental health problems
• problems finding and keeping a job
• problems with the law
• problems finding a home to live in
• problems with using alcohol or drugs
• problems with family or other relationships
• problems being able to take part in the community
• not enough money to live well
• trauma – something bad that happens to you that can make you feel:
  • scared
  • stressed
  • worried.

If a person needs support with 2 or more things  from this list, we say they have complex support needs.

There are questions you can ask an allied health worker before you make an appointment.

It can be hard to ask questions.

You can ask for support from:

• your family or carer
• a friend
• advocates – someone who speaks up for people with disability
• your doctor
• your support coordinator.

There are some important questions you might ask an allied health worker.

We have included some of them below.

We also have a checklist you can use when you talk to allied health workers.

You can download the checklist here.

Download the 'Questions to ask allied health workers’ (PDF 3.5MB)

Can you give me the support I need?

Do you work with people with disability?

Do you work with people with disability who need a lot of support?

Do you work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with disability?

Can you communicate with me in a way that I understand? For example:

• Auslan
• a language other than English
• using my assistive technology.

Do you work with people with disability who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, questioning and plus (LGBTIQ+)?

Do you work with people with disability from different cultures?

Your culture is:

• your way of life
• the way you think or act because of how you grew up.

Can you give me the support I need?

You can use our What funding do you have in your NDIS plan? checklist to tell the allied health worker what support you need.

What Funding Do You Have In Your NDIS Plan? (PDF 3.2 MB)

Do you work near where I live?

Ask the allied health worker where they work.

You may want to make sure they work near where you live.

Talk about how and where you want to see an allied health worker.

Some allied health workers can come to where you:

• live
• work
• learn or do training.

They can also use telehealth to support you.

Telehealth is a way you can have allied health appointments:

• over the phone
• by video on your phone, tablet or computer.

Is your building accessible?

When a building is accessible, everyone can use it.

For example, you might need:

• accessible car parking
• ramps
• lifts
• tactile signals – signals you can feel to help you get around
• signals you can hear to help you get around
• different colours between the wall and the floors.

How long must you wait to see the allied health worker?

Ask the allied health worker how long you must wait until you can see them.

You might need to see someone sooner.

Are you a man or a woman?

Do you feel better working with an allied health worker who is a woman?

Do you feel better working with an allied health worker who is a man?

How old are you?

You might feel better working with an allied health worker who is:

• younger than you
• older than you
• the same age as you.

Do you have other allied health workers near you?

You might need more than 1 type of allied health worker.

You could try and find allied health workers that work in the same place.

This means you could make your allied health appointments on the same day if you want to.

It can also make it easier for your allied health workers to work together to give you the best support.

Are you a registered NDIS provider?

Your NDIS plan might only let you use allied health workers that are NDIS registered.

This means they must meet strict government rules about:

• quality
• safety.

You should check your plan to find out if you must use NDIS registered allied health workers.

How much do your services cost?

Find out how much the allied health you need costs.

Ask the allied health worker if they have any other costs.

For example, they might charge a fee if you want to cancel your appointment.

See if their price matches what’s in the NDIS price guide.

You can ask for support to read the NDIS price guide.

Make sure you have enough funding in your NDIS plan.