Published by SESI Care Services · Updated August 2026 · 2-minute summary
Quick answer: You do not need a GP referral for occupational therapy (OT) or physiotherapy funded by the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Anyone can refer, including you. What slows a referral is missing information, not approval. Send the provider your plan dates, the Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living budget line, goals in one paragraph, availability and consent to talk to your support coordinator. Then ask for a telehealth intake while you wait for the home visit.
Key takeaways
- No GP referral is required for NDIS therapy. Waiting for a doctor’s letter is the most common self-inflicted delay.
- Send five things: plan dates, the budget line, goals in one paragraph, availability, and consent to contact your support coordinator.
- Check the plan first. No Improved Daily Living funding means no provider can start; you need a plan variation instead.
- Ask for a telehealth intake while the first home visit is being scheduled.
- Hospital discharge planners can refer before discharge, so the therapist is lined up for the week you get home.
- Over 65 and not on the NDIS? The My Aged Care assessment is the gate; private therapy can fill the gap.
Do I need a GP referral for NDIS occupational therapy or physiotherapy?
No. The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) does not require a doctor’s referral before a provider can start therapy funded from your plan.
The NDIA describes OT and physiotherapy as therapy supports that build or maintain skills and independence. The NDIA’s condition is about who delivers the therapy: for OT and physio, the therapist must be registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra). Nothing says who has to send the referral. You, a family member, a support coordinator, a plan manager, a hospital team or a GP can all contact a provider directly.
Families often wait weeks for a GP appointment to “get the letter”. A GP summary is useful background, but it is not a ticket. Outside the NDIS, Victoria’s Better Health Channel notes that physiotherapy appointments may be made directly without a doctor’s referral.
What actually slows a referral down?
Almost every slow referral is slow because the provider cannot act on it yet, not because anyone has refused it.
- Incomplete information. “Mum needs an OT” plus a phone number means the provider has to ring, leave a message, then ask for the plan. Each loop adds days.
- The wrong budget. OT and physio are funded from Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living. The NDIA explains that Capacity Building categories are stated supports, so Core cannot be moved across to pay for therapy.
- A plan with no Improved Daily Living funding. No amount of chasing lets a provider claim against funding that is not there.
- Waiting for a GP letter that is not needed. It costs weeks.
- Nobody with authority to say yes. The provider needs the plan manager’s details and consent to talk to the support coordinator.
- No availability given. “Any time” means more phone tag. “Thursdays after 10 am, when the support worker is there” gets the first visit booked on the first call.
What should I include in a referral?
A complete referral is one the provider can read once, check the funding, and book.
| What to send | Why it speeds things up |
|---|---|
| Participant name, date of birth, NDIS number | Lets the provider check the plan |
| Plan start and end dates | Shows time left and whether funding periods apply |
| Budget line: Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living, and roughly what is left | Confirms the provider can claim |
| How the plan is managed, plus the plan manager’s details | Tells the provider who to invoice and whether they must be registered |
| Goals in one paragraph, in plain words | “Shower without help and get to the shops on the bus” is enough to match the right therapist |
| What prompted the referral now | A fall, a hospital stay, a new diagnosis, equipment that no longer fits |
| Availability and who will be home | Lets the first visit be booked on the first call |
| Consent to speak with the support coordinator, GP or hospital team | Lets the provider gather background without chasing you |
| Address and access notes | Stairs, parking, a dog, an intercom |
| Best contact person and time to call | Avoids missed calls |
You do not need every medical report. Send a recent discharge summary if you have one; if not, send the referral anyway. The NDIA’s guidance on service agreements shows what gets settled next: supports, cost and who pays. The more of that your referral already answers, the shorter the gap to the first visit.
How do I get seen sooner while I wait for a home visit?
Ask for a telehealth intake. A video or phone call with the therapist can start the assessment before the in-person visit.
Telehealth is claimed under the same NDIS support item as face-to-face therapy when you agree to it and it is clinically appropriate. Since 1 July 2026 it shows as its own invoice line. In a first telehealth session the therapist can confirm goals and look at the bathroom or front steps through your phone camera. Our guide to in-home versus clinic appointments covers when each format suits.
Two more things shorten the wait. Ask to go on the cancellation list. Have the support worker at the first visit, so the therapist’s strategies carry into everyday support. We cover the day itself in your first in-home allied health visit.
SESI delivers occupational therapy and physiotherapy in homes across Victoria. Paste the items in the table above into the message box on our online referral form and we will call you back.
Can a hospital refer before I am discharged?
Yes. A discharge planner, social worker or ward OT can send the referral to a community provider before you go home. That way the first visit is booked for the week you arrive.
Discharge teams already hold what a community therapist needs: what you could do on the ward, what equipment was trialled, what the risks at home are. Ask the ward to send that summary with the referral. Add the NDIS plan details yourself the same day if they do not have them.
If you have a support coordinator, loop them in before discharge. They can confirm the Improved Daily Living balance, arrange consent and chase the referral while you are in hospital. SESI’s Support Coordination is available Australia-wide by phone and video; see support coordination versus plan management.
What if my plan has no Improved Daily Living funding?
Then the referral cannot start yet. The fast path is a plan variation with functional evidence, not more calls to providers.
A plan variation changes the current plan; a plan reassessment creates a new one. The NDIA’s changing your plan hub sets out both routes and how to review a decision. The evidence that carries weight is functional: what the person cannot do, how often, and what help they need. A short GP letter describing the functional impact is the one place a doctor’s letter genuinely speeds things up.
From 1 October 2026 the NDIA is tightening some Capacity Building budgets, including Improved Daily Living, as part of the 2026 NDIS changes. A request backed by a functional assessment is in a stronger position than a general ask for “some therapy”. For which budget pays for what, read our pillar on accessing in-home allied health under the NDIS in Victoria.
What if I am over 65 and not on the NDIS?
For people over 65 who are not NDIS participants, the gate is a My Aged Care assessment. Private therapy is the way to start while you wait.
Government-funded allied health at home comes through the Support at Home program, which replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025. To get in you need an aged care assessment. My Aged Care explains how to get assessed: apply online with a Medicare card, or call 1800 200 422. The assessment is free and usually happens in your home. A family member can apply for you and sit in.
Apply for the assessment now, even if you are not sure what you will need. Book private OT or physio while you wait; the therapist’s report is useful evidence for the assessment. Under Support at Home, allied health sits in the clinical care group, which carries no participant contribution. Our guide to funding allied health at home compares the two systems. SESI delivers Support at Home services across Victoria.
Frequently asked questions
Does a GP have to write the referral before an NDIS OT or physio can start?
No. The NDIS does not require a doctor’s referral for therapy supports. You, a family member, a support coordinator, a plan manager or a hospital team can contact a provider directly. The plan does need Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living funding.
What is the fastest way to refer someone for in-home OT?
Send a complete referral: plan dates, the Improved Daily Living budget line and balance, how the plan is managed, goals in one paragraph, availability, and consent to talk to the support coordinator. Then ask for a telehealth intake. You can paste these items into SESI’s referral form and we will call you back.
Can my support coordinator make the referral for me?
Yes. Support coordinators refer to therapy providers regularly and can confirm the budget balance and consent at the same time. Give them the goals in your own words so the referral reflects what matters to you.
Can I use Core funding for physiotherapy if my Improved Daily Living budget is used up?
No. Capacity Building categories are stated supports, so Core cannot be moved into them. If the therapy budget is exhausted and the need is real, ask for a plan variation with functional evidence.
Talk to SESI
If you want an occupational therapist or physiotherapist to come to you in Victoria, send us the details in the table above and we will call you back.
Tell us what’s going on: sesi.com.au/referral · Call: 1800 017 374
This guide is general information based on NDIA guidance on therapy supports, capacity building budgets and service agreements, and My Aged Care and Department of Health, Disability and Ageing Support at Home pages current at September 2026. It is not advice about your individual plan. Contact the NDIA on 1800 800 110 or My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.
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