There’s one thing that many OTs, and allied health practitioners in general, may underestimate when they start in an NDIS caseload…

The complexity of NDIS report writing. Writing a report for an NDIS participant is different to most other reports we have to write. But how do you learn to write a solid NDIS report? How can you teach yourself or others? Do you start with a report template and do your best to fill in the gaps? Or do you start with knowing your recommendations and working backwards?

Those approaches could work, but because I believe in the power of a flowchart or step-by-step approach when it comes to learning complex things – which is most things in an NDIS caseload – I’ve put together this framework.

I call it the “10 Steps to NDIS Report Writing Success!”

I’ll give you a run through of the steps, but keep reading to the end if you want to hear more about how to DO each of these steps.

STEP 1. Determine the purpose of the report.

Start with thinking about the outcome you are hoping to achieve with the report. This isn’t “they’ll get a new wheelchair” or “they’ll get some more support worker assistance.” Yes, hopefully those are the supports that will be funded, but here I mean what functional outcome are you hoping your client will achieve once you submit the report and your request is (hopefully) approved? In the example of having a wheelchair funded, the functional outcome could be that your client will be able to mobilise independently inside and outside their home to participate in a range of self-care, leisure, and work activities.

STEP 2. Decide which type of report is needed.

There are lots of different NDIS report types out there. Some have their own template provided by the NDIS, others don’t. Each allied health provider may also have their own template or approach for different types of reports. Reports can range from simple support letters, to plan review reports, AT applications, FCAs, Home and Living Reports and more. You need to have a clear understanding of the type of report you need to write, because that will dictate what type of information you need to gather, and what content to include in your report.

STEP 3. Discuss expectations with the referrer.

It’s important to know what type of report your referrer is expecting so that you meet their expectations. It’s also important to remember that a lot of the work that goes into NDIS report writing happens behind the scenes, and referrers, such as support coordinators or clients, may not understand all the steps we need to undertake to do a decent job on our reports. This means you need to be transparent up front. For example, writing an AT app for a powered wheelchair isn’t a matter of just spending a couple of hours on a report. The whole process involves discussing the goals for using the wheelchair, planning and conducting trials, comparing options, triple-checking quotes, and then writing and following-up the report. A process that can take many, many hours, including lots of time spent working on these steps when the client isn’t with you. Let them know the steps you’ll need to go through, how long things might take, and why it needs to be this way. Then make sure they are on board with this before you start any work, because it’s important to know that they have the funding to pay you for the work you need to do.

STEP 4. Gather your evidence.

I can’t emphasise enough how important this step is. I do lots of report reviews as part of my Your OT Tutor services, and I think this is one of the areas that lets reports down. You need to gather strong evidence to be able to back your clinical reasoning, and to support any recommendations you’re going to make, and often this means you need to collect information from a range of sources. It could be interviews, observations, liaising with others, or completing standardised assessments. But you can’t observe every activity the participant does in their day. And you don’t need to include five standardised assessments in every report. You need to choose your information gathering techniques carefully so you can get the maximum amount of information as efficiently as possible.

STEP 5. Check your reasoning and determine your recommendations.

For NDIS report writing, this mostly comes back to considering whether you have enough evidence and sound reasoning to justify how the support you are recommending in your report, meets the reasonable and necessary criteria. This isn’t a judgement call based on whether you think something sounds fair or reasonable; it is actually referring to the reasonable and necessary criteria as outlined in the NDIS Act. It includes things like making sure the support will enable participation, that it is value for money, and that it will be effective. Remember though that sometimes a support can be effective, but it may not necessarily mean the NDIS should be the body to fund it. ALL the reasonable and necessary criteria need to be met for each support you recommend.

STEP 6. Understand your audience.

Whenever you write any piece of documentation or report as a health professional, you should be keeping in mind who will be reading the report. In this case, it is generally an NDIS planner, so you need to keep in mind what type of person this usually is. Think about what their own health literacy might be, how much time they have, and what are their own KPIs or job expectations they need to meet. At the end of the day if your report makes it hard for them to do their job, it’s going to be harder for them to sign-off on whatever recommendations you’re making.

STEP 7. Explain your reasoning.

This comes back to using appropriate language that suits the audience you are writing to. It also involves providing the content the NDIS needs to see and ensuring that the way you have explained your reasoning and provided your evidence is thorough and clear. You can do this through highlighting what type of assistance the person needs, and what the risks are if the supports aren’t funded. Often this means we need to write in a way that is focused on the participant’s deficits. But keep in mind that sometimes the participant will read our report too, and it can be pretty devastating to read something that only focuses on all the things you can’t do. Getting this balance right is tricky!

STEP 8. Maximise clarity.

You need to make it as easy as possible for the NDIS planner to do their job, by making sure your key findings and recommendations are easy to find. You can do this by including the right content, good formatting, and attention to detail. My top tips are to use clear sub-headings, dot-points, tables, and photos so that the important information can be found even if the report is not read word-for-word. Make sure you proof-read you reports and that you triple-check things like that the participant’s NDIS number is correct.

STEP 9. Review the report and incorporate feedback.

You should review the report yourself to make sure it makes sense and that it is free of typos, but it can be invaluable to also have a supervisor or peer take a look at your report and provide feedback, even if they don’t know the client. If they are confused in any way or think there are gaps, I’m 110% sure the NDIS planner will feel confused too. Depending on the policies of your company, you could also consider seeking feedback from the client or support coordinator before you finalise your report. There are different ways you can do this though so that you remain in control of the content that goes into your report, and that you will ultimately put your signature to.

STEP 10. Submit your report, but you’re not done yet!

Where, when, and how you send your final report will vary depending on the client and the type of report. Many reports these days will trigger a plan review, so it is important to consider the timing before just sending everything to the NDIS enquires email as soon as it is complete. But you’re probably thinking “What does she mean by the ‘but you’re not done yet’ comment?” I’m sure once you press send on the report you don’t really want to think about it or look at it again for a while, but what I’m getting at here, is don’t forget to follow-up. How can you be sure your report was actually effective unless you keep in touch with the client or referrer? And finally, with each report that you’ll do, you’ll find something you could do better. Sometimes it’s updating a template or tweaking your process, but while it’s fresh in your mind, spend a few minutes doing those little QI tasks to make your life easier next time.

So how does that sound? Hopefully I haven’t lost you or scared you off! I’ll be completely honest, my reports are not 100% perfect 100% of the time, and there are lots of factors that will impact the quality of your report writing and how it is received by the NDIS. But aiming for these 10 steps each time you write a report will at the very least help you feel confident that you’ve undertake a thorough process, and have done the very best you can to justify your recommendations and outline your client's needs.

Hopefully you found this article helpful, but it’s really only a starting point. If you’d like to find out how to DO each of these steps, you can check out my latest online course – “10 Steps to NDIS Report Writing Success!” I go through each of these steps in more detail, give you plenty of case study examples and opportunities to practice and test yourself, and of course I’ll throw in some downloadable resources to guide you through the process. This course is relevant for ANY allied health professional working in the NDIS, as long as you write reports. You can find out more or sign-up here: https://yott.au/ndis_report_writing_success

Hot tip – the special discounted launch price will continue until the 24th of March, so get in early!

Even hotter tip – I’ve also just launched the NDIS OT Starter Kit that bundles this course up with some of my other ones that have been popular with NDIS OTs. There’s even an option for the non-OTs! And yes, this has a discounted launch price too. You can find out more here: https://yott.au/ndis_ot_starter_kit

Good luck with your next NDIS report – may the odds be ever in your favour…

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