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.

You can find out more on the Allied health workers page of this website.

It is important to make sure your allied health workers:

• meet your needs
• are right for you.

We have information to help you work out if your allied health worker:

• meets your needs
• is right for you.

We also have a checklist you can use.

Download the 'Is your allied health worker meeting your needs?' (PDF)

There are questions you can think about to make sure your allied health worker:

• meets your needs
• is right for you.

We have included some of them below.

Does your allied health worker listen to you and find out what:

• supports you need?
• goals you want to reach?

Does your allied health worker help you reach your goals?

Is your allied health worker patient?

Do they give you enough time to ask questions?

Is your allied health worker happy to answer your questions?

Does your allied health worker treat you  with respect?

Does your allied health worker come to appointments on time?

Does your allied health worker do what they say they will do?

Do you like spending time with your allied health worker?

Is it easy to contact your allied health worker?

Does your allied health worker understand what support you need?

Does your allied health worker talk with you to make sure they can meet your needs?

Does your allied health worker focus on what you can do? Or do they focus on what you cannot do?

Does your allied health worker respect what you believe?

This includes your:

• religion
• personal beliefs
• culture.

Your culture is:

• your way of life
• the way you choose to think or act based on your beliefs.

Does your allied health worker support you to make your own choices?

Does your allied health worker communicate with you in a way that you can understand?

Does your allied health worker make sure they work well with:

• your family?
• other support services you use?

A Service Agreement is a written plan between you and your allied health worker. It explains:

• the supports you will use
• how your allied health worker will give the supports to you
• how much the supports cost.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has an Easy Read factsheet about Service Agreements.

The NDIS is a way of providing supports and services to people with disability around Australia.

You can find the factsheet on our website.

Download the ‘How to make a Service Agreement factsheet' (PDF)

If you are not happy with your allied health worker, you can:

• give them your feedback
• make a complaint.

Feedback is when you tell someone about a problem so they can try to fix it.

When you make a complaint, you tell someone that something:

• has gone wrong
• is not working well.

Complaints are more serious than feedback.

You can ask someone to help you give  feedback or make a complaint, such as:

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

If you are not happy with what your allied health worker does about your complaint, you can find another allied health worker.

Or you can contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.

You can call them on 1800 035 544.

You can visit their website and fill out a Complaint Contact Form.

TTY

133 677

The National Relay Service

Speak and Listen

1300 555 727

SMS relay number

0423 677 767

If you live in Western Australia, and you want to make a complaint before 1 December 2020, please contact the Health and Disability Services Complaints Office.