Your First In-Home Allied Health Visit: Booking, What to Bring and What Happens

Published by SESI Care Services · Updated August 2026 · 2-minute summary

Quick answer: Anyone can book an in-home occupational therapy (OT) or physiotherapy visit — no GP referral is needed — as long as the NDIS plan has Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living funding. Sign a service agreement, then have the plan, a medication list and a few goals ready. The first visit is an assessment, not treatment: the therapist watches everyday tasks in your real rooms, then sends a written plan.

Key takeaways

• No GP referral is needed. The referral can come from the participant, a family member, a support coordinator or a GP.
• The service agreement is where costs are set, including how travel is charged. Ask before you sign.
• Have four things ready: the NDIS plan, a medication list, any hospital or specialist letters, and a list of goals in your own words.
• The first visit is an assessment. Expect questions, watching you do tasks where you normally do them, and a look around the home.
• Afterwards you get a written plan and report. Equipment and home modification recommendations go to your Capital budget, not the therapy budget.
• Since 1 July 2026 invoices are itemised, so you can see therapy time, travel and report writing as separate lines.

Who can book an in-home OT or physio visit?

Anyone can make the booking — the participant, a parent or partner, a support coordinator or a GP — because the NDIS does not require a referral for therapy. What matters is that the plan has Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living funding. Our pillar guide to accessing in-home allied health under the NDIS in Victoria explains how to read the plan. If you are on aged care instead, see funding allied health at home: NDIS vs Support at Home.

The booking itself usually takes one phone call or an online form. The provider will ask for the participant’s name, date of birth and NDIS number, how the plan is managed (NDIA-managed, plan-managed or self-managed), the address, and what you want help with in plain words.

If the plan is NDIA-managed, the provider must be NDIS-registered. Plan-managed and self-managed plans can use unregistered providers too, but every provider is bound by the NDIS Code of Conduct. For a quicker start, see getting a fast OT or physio referral in Victoria.

What should I check in the service agreement?

Read the service agreement before you sign, because it sets the price, travel and cancellation rules. The NDIA recommends a written agreement with every new provider. Its service agreement page lists what a good one covers. That includes which supports will be delivered, when and where, the cost, the provider’s travel charges, the cancellation policy, how the provider will be paid, and what to do if you are unhappy.

Three questions worth asking out loud:

1. How is travel charged? Since 1 July 2026, provider travel is a separate line on the invoice, it is capped, and it must be agreed with you in advance.
2. What is included in the hourly rate? The 2026–27 price limits are $193.99 per hour for OT and $183.99 per hour for physio. They are set out in the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits. Those are maximums a provider can claim, not a bill you pay. Since 1 July 2026, report writing and other non-face-to-face time appear as their own invoice lines, so ask how much to expect.
3. What is the cancellation policy? Short-notice cancellations can be charged. Know the cut-off time.

You can ask for the agreement in a format and language you understand. A support coordinator can go through it with you — SESI’s Support Coordination is available Australia-wide by phone and video.

What should I have ready before the visit?

Have the plan, a medication list, recent letters and a list of goals to hand, and decide who should be in the room.

• The NDIS plan. You can also give the provider consent to see parts of your plan — the NDIA explains how on its sharing your plan page.
• A medication list. A Webster pack or a printout from the GP works.
• Hospital discharge summaries, specialist letters and any previous OT or physio reports, even old ones.
• A list of goals in your own words. “Get in and out of the shower without Dad holding me”, “walk to the letterbox”, “make my own toast”.
• Equipment you already use — walking frame, shower chair, splints — in the room where you use it.

Who should be present? The participant, and the person who knows the daily routine best. If a support worker helps with showering or transfers, ask them to come for part of the visit so the therapist’s strategies carry into everyday support. Meeting the therapist alone is also fine — it is your choice. If you need an interpreter, say so when you book.

What happens during the first visit?

The first visit is an assessment, not treatment. It usually runs about an hour (confirm when you book) and follows a familiar shape:

1. A conversation. The therapist explains what they will do, asks for consent, and asks what you want to be able to do and what gets in the way.
2. Watching real tasks in real rooms. An OT might ask to see how you get in and out of bed, step into the shower, or make a cup of tea. A physio might watch you stand from your usual chair, walk down the hallway, and manage the front step. You will always be asked first and can say no to anything.
3. A look at the home environment. Steps and thresholds at the entry, rails, lighting and floor surfaces. Bed and toilet height, and room to turn a frame or wheelchair in the bathroom.
4. Talking with the people who support you, with your permission, so the plan fits the routine rather than fighting it.
5. Agreeing goals. By the end of the visit you should have two or three goals written down that can be measured at the next plan reassessment.

With your permission the therapist may take photos and measurements for a later equipment or modification report. If something is unsafe today — a loose rug on tiles, no rail beside a high step — expect them to say so. For the difference between assessing at home and in a clinic, see in-home allied health vs clinic appointments.

What do I receive after the visit?

Within a couple of weeks you should receive a written plan, and often a report, to share with your support coordinator and keep for your plan reassessment. Ask at booking when to expect it.

What you receive	What it is for	Which NDIS budget it touches
Therapy plan	Goals, how often visits will happen, what will be practised between visits	Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living
Assessment report	Functional findings; evidence for a plan variation or reassessment	Improved Daily Living (report writing is a separate line)
Equipment (assistive technology) recommendation	Shower chair, rails, walking aid, pressure cushion	Capital – Assistive Technology (low-cost items may come from Core consumables)
Home modification recommendation	Ramps, bathroom changes, step rails	Capital – Home Modifications
Home exercise or strategy sheet	What you and your support workers do between visits	No claim — part of the plan

The NDIA needs evidence before it funds an item, and usually asks for advice or an assessment from an assistive technology assessor — a qualified health professional, such as an OT.

SESI Care Services delivers occupational therapy and physiotherapy in homes across Victoria, and Support at Home services for older Victorians funded through aged care. For how the itemised invoice reads, see our guide to the 2026–27 NDIS price changes.

What should be on my first-visit checklist?

Print this or screenshot it, and tick each item the day before.

• ☐ Service agreement signed; travel charge and cancellation policy understood
• ☐ NDIS plan (paper or portal) and medication list to hand
• ☐ Hospital or specialist letters and any previous therapy reports
• ☐ Goals written in your own words (2–5 lines)
• ☐ Support worker or family member invited for part of the visit; interpreter arranged if needed
• ☐ Equipment you use left where you use it
• ☐ After the visit: note when the plan or report is due, share it with your support coordinator, and note any Capital recommendations

Frequently asked questions

Talk to SESI

If you would like an occupational therapist or physiotherapist to come to your home in Victoria, tell us what is going on and we will call you back to arrange the first visit.

Tell us what’s going on: sesi.com.au/referral · Call: 1800 017 374

This guide is general information based on NDIA guidance on service agreements and assistive technology, the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2026–27 and the NDIS Code of Conduct, current at September 2026. It is not advice about your individual plan. For help with your own plan, speak with your support coordinator or contact the NDIA on 1800 800 110. Older Victorians funded through aged care can contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.