Eight questions worth asking any NDIS provider in Sydney
Every provider website says person centred, flexible and experienced. None of that tells you what a Tuesday morning will actually be like. These questions do.
Choosing a provider is one of the few decisions in the NDIS where you have real control, and it is the one people get the least help with. You are usually making it while you are tired, while something has already gone wrong, and with a list of names that all look identical online.
These are the eight questions we think are worth asking. Ask them of us too.
1. How many different workers will come to my home?
This is the question that predicts most of your experience. Large providers fill shifts from a pool, which means the person who helps you shower on Monday may not be the person who does it on Thursday. If a provider cannot give you a number, the number is high.
A good answer is specific. Ours is around three, capped deliberately, so you always know who is walking in.
2. Do I meet the workers before they start?
You are letting someone into your home, often at your least dignified moment of the day. Meeting them first is not a luxury. Ask whether it happens as standard or only if you push for it.
3. What happens if the match is wrong?
Not if the worker does something wrong. If they are simply not right for you. Listen for whether there is a cost, a notice period, or a sense that you are being difficult for asking. There should be none of those.
A tell worth listening for. Providers that handle this well answer immediately, because it happens often and they have a process. Providers that handle it badly hesitate, then explain the roster.
4. Which NDIS registration groups are you approved for?
Registration is granted per group, not as a blanket approval. A provider might be registered for personal care but not Supported Independent Living. If they are vague, ask for the numbers. We publish all eleven of ours on our services page.
5. Who answers the phone, and how fast do I hear back?
Call the number on the website before you commit to anything. See what happens. A queue, a form, or a call centre in another state tells you what the relationship will feel like when something urgent happens on a Sunday.
6. Am I locked in?
Read the service agreement for exit terms, notice periods and minimum hours. You are allowed to leave. A provider confident in its work does not need to trap you, and will hand over properly when you go.
7. What happens when my regular worker is sick?
Everybody gets sick. The question is what the provider does about it. Is there a named backup who already knows you, or does the shift go out to whoever is available? Ask what happened the last time it came up.
8. Can you put in writing what you just told me?
The most useful question on the list. Everything above is easy to say on the phone. A provider that will write it into your service agreement means it. A provider that will not has just told you the answers were marketing.
What good and bad answers sound like
Good answers
- A specific number of workers, not a range.
- Meeting workers first, as standard.
- Registration group numbers, said out loud.
- A named backup for when someone is sick.
Answers to worry about
- We are very flexible.
- It depends on the roster.
- We are fully registered, with no numbers.
- Someone will always be there.
A note on size
Bigger is not automatically worse. Large providers have depth, and if your supports are complex or your needs change often, that can matter more than familiarity. Smaller providers trade that depth for consistency and for the person on the phone knowing who you are.
Neither is right for everybody. What matters is that you choose deliberately rather than by whoever came up first in a search.
You can also just call and describe your week
If you are not sure which supports you need, working that out is the provider’s job, not yours. Ours is 1800 770 781, and you get a person rather than a queue.
If we are not the right fit, we will say so on that first call. What we promise is written down for the same reason.
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Ask us all eight.
We would rather answer them now than have you find out later. If our answers are not what you are looking for, that is a useful outcome too.