Speech Language Pathologists are experts who work with individuals of all age groups - from babies to adults. They treat a variety of issues that stem from communication and pronunciation struggles.

The NDIS, The National Disability Insurance Scheme of Australia is a scheme that contributes funding to the cause of covering individuals with disabilities.

This is done in order to facilitate a better quality of life for those with disabilities, wherein they are able to enjoy and spend more time with their family and their friends, and are able to feel independent due to the increase in opportunities to acquire new skills and work jobs that come their way.

One of the ways in which the NDIS provides support for those with disabilities is by connecting them to community and support groups, libraries and schools, and most importantly, doctors that can assist them in their treatments. Currently, the NDIS supports over 500,000 Australians who struggle with their disabilities, by providing them with the services and resources that they require.

If you are a speech pathologist, we at Medfuture, your trusted recruitment agency, can guide you on how to register with the NDIS.

Becoming an NDIS Provider

An NDIS Provider is an individual or organisation that is able to provide a necessary service or support to a disabled party. Providers are one of the main connections that are arranged for the participants who register for NDIS support.

A Speech Pathologist can register with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission [NDIS Commission] to be a provider for individuals suffering with Speech and language disabilities, or they can remain unregistered and still provide their support.

Any support that the NDIS pays for has to be in alignment with certain requirements, wherein the support or service being provided has to have a relation to the disability of the participant, must not include any living costs that are incurred on a daily basis that have no relation to the support needs of the participant, has to have value for the money being paid, and most importantly, has to be useful to, and effective for the participant.

Once registered, providers can use this affiliation with the NDIS when marketing to client prospects, in order to prove that they have met all of the specific quality and safeguards requirements, putting them at an advantage when compared to their competitors.

Benefits of Being a Registered Provider

As a speech pathologist, once registered with the NDIS as a provider, you will be able to connect and deliver your service to a wide range of clients, particularly those being funded by the NDIA.

You get the opportunity to be a part of an ever-changing, expansive, competitive and innovative community.

You become eligible to market your services as a speech pathologist, as a registered provider for the NDIS

The myplace provider portal gives you the ability to access online business systems, and provides you with tools to manage your bookings for speech-language pathology services, while also enabling speedy payment processing systems.

The NDIS Provider Finder tool in the myplace provider portal assists you in expanding your online presence and reach.

The NDIS gives you access to updates and information about changes in the processes and about the business system, along with resources and other tools that can be utilised to train staff that you may have.

Supplementary training modules by the NDIS Commission are also accessible as a registered NDIS provider.

How Speech Pathology is One of the Services or Supports Delivered by the NDIS

In order to be eligible for the NDIS registration, the service or support must fall into one of the three categories: core, capital and capacity building. Core is a support or service that assists a participant or client with their daily activities. Capital is the support for investment, including technology that assists the provider with their processes. It covers equipment they might need, as well as changes and improvements to their homes or vehicles for as long as they are being used by the NDIS. Finally, capacity building is a service that assists clients with improving and building their skills and independence.

All participants receive a fund, and are able to choose their services out of this allocated budget based on what support they wish to receive. There are 15 categories of services and support that can be delivered under the NDIS. One of the Categories is Capacity Building Supports [Improved Daily Living]. Speech Pathology falls under this category, and the level of support required by a participant is generally determined and approved by a licenced Speech Pathologist in terms of how reasonable and urgent it is.

Speech pathology becomes necessary in instances where there are delays in development of children; when individuals have learning problems; when individuals have suffered with strokes or brain injuries; or when individuals have intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, dementia, or a loss of hearing.

What to Consider Before Registering to be an NDIS Provider

Before you register to become an NDIS provider, there are a number of things you need to take into consideration. A self-assessment would help you determine whether or not you are ready to take the next step.

The first thing to consider would be whether or not you understand the main objective of the NDIS, and the role that you would play as an NDIS Provider.

In this case, providers first select which registration group to apply for, as each group represents a different service being offered. In the case of speech pathologists, they would fall under the category of “Improved Daily Living.” Providers will work with plan managers and support coordinators, who link the participants with the providers, guiding them in terms of value for money within the budgets allocated, as well as with partners in the community who are essentially organisations that have specialised local knowledge and comprehension of the participants with disabilities and development delays.

Next, a comprehensive read on the support and services that are funded by the NDIS (as covered previously) would help assist in understanding whether or not you provide the services the NDIS is looking for. In this case, Medfuture guarantees that Speech Pathologists have a place in the list of eligible providers, and will assist you with the process of registration.

Following this, understanding the benefits of becoming a registered provider (as explained previously) for the NDIS will greatly assist you in making the decision to move forward.

A thorough understanding of what the participants require from your institution/organisation, or yourself, based on their management of funds with the NDIS needs to be considered. Participants manage their NDIS funding in three ways: they either self-manage their funds where the NDIA provides them with the funding for them to acquire the support needed; they choose to have their funding plan-managed where a plan-manager provided by the NDIA pays their providers, tracks funding and handles the financial reporting for them; or they choose NDIA-managed funding where the NDIA handles funds and pays providers for them.

After taking all of the above into consideration, you must ensure that you can meet all of the official criteria specified for becoming an registered provider with the NDIS. All NDIS Providers register through the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Here, new providers can register for the first time, and existing providers can renew their NDIS registrations.

The NDIS ensures that they offer national consistency to their participants, promoting safety, and providing services of high quality.

How to Register to Become an NDIS Provider

Once you go through the NDIS Practice Standards that detail the quality of the standards that have to be met by all NDIS Providers, along with the NDIS Code of Conduct, you will register through the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.

First, you must open the Applications Portal.

You must open a PRODA Account to log in, and create a new application.

You have 60 days to update or submit your application after opening it, before it expires and gets deleted.

You will need:

Details about yourself, and your organisation, which will include your main business address, primary contacts, and other information about the structure of your organisation, and any governance arrangements you might have.

You will need to be able to specify which registration groups you wish to register for, and the locations in which your supports and services can be made available.

You will be asked to do a self-assessment based on the standards required. Your answers must also detail and support how you or your organisation meet the identified requirements. At this stage, you can also provide documentation of evidence to support your claims.

Lastly, you will need to disclose any legal issues of the past, such as bankruptcies, convictions, or anything that could potentially affect your ability to support the participants.

Medfuture is a reputed medical and healthcare recruitment agency that connects qualified and experienced healthcare professionals on a global scale. If you are a Speech Pathologist who wishes to register with the NDIS, and expand your reach in your career, you are in the right place. For information on open vacancies in healthcare administration, visit the Medfuture job board.