Information for health professionals, service providers and supporters

General practitioners (GPs)

The role of GPs in supporting a patient to access NDIS support

General Practitioners (GPs) provide clinical information to support a person’s NDIS application.

GPs may also help people:

better understand and connect with the NDIS
connect with a local area coordinator for mainstream and community supports.

The below guide can help GPs understand the NDIS and other supports available to their patients:

Who should apply to the NDIS

Not all people with mental health conditions will need funded support from the NDIS. NDIS funded supports are for people whose:

recovery journey is likely to be lifelong
impairments resulting from mental health conditions have a significant impact on their ability to carry out day-to-day activities. We call this psychosocial disability.

How to support people not eligible for the NDIS

People who are not eligible for the NDIS or who choose not to apply can still access support from a local area coordinator.

Local area coordinators have strong connections in the community.

They can connect people with mainstream supports in their local area including:

community groups
recreational activities such as sporting clubs and performing arts groups
other social networks.

Mental health professionals

Qualified and experienced mental health professionals provide primary evidence of functional capacity to support the application process for people with psychosocial disability.

This evidence is required to show how much a person’s permanent impairment impacts on their functional capacity.

Without this evidence, it is likely that a person may not be able to demonstrate that they meet the eligibility criteria.

When applying to the NDIS the best way to provide evidence of a functional impact of an impairment is to have a qualified person complete a functional assessment.

A qualified person is usually a mental health professional.

Mental health and peer workers can also provide evidence to support a person’s application.

The resources below have information for mental health professionals:

Support workers

A mental health support worker or a lived experience/peer worker can provide a letter as part of evidence for an applicant or participant.

The person may:

be applying with a primary psychosocial disability
need a plan reassessment
need a plan variation.

Along with other evidence, this letter can help the NDIS understand if a person meets the disability or early intervention requirements.

A template to help draft a Support Worker Letter (including lived experience or peer workers) is available below.

Psychosocial recovery coaches

We are committed to ensuring the NDIS meets the needs of people with psychosocial disability. Part of this commitment is the psychosocial recovery coach support item introduced by the NDIA to work with people with psychosocial disability.

This Psychosocial recovery coach factsheet can help providers deliver the recovery coach support item.

Families, carers and other supporters

Families and carers can be essential in supporting people with psychosocial disability to pursue their goals.

For more information about how we can help carers and family members, visit the families and carers page.

The Reimagine Today website can also help people with a mental health condition to better understand psychosocial disability, recovery, and the NDIS. It is also helpful for supporters of someone living with a mental health condition.

The NDIS mental health toolkit on the Independent Mental Health Advocacy website can also help people with psychosocial disability and their carers or family members in applying for and navigating the NDIS.

This toolkit is designed to provide you with the information, skills and support to advocate for what you want under the NDIS.