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Ensuring NDIS Compliance: Practical Tips for Providers to Meet Standards
What Does NDIS Compliance Mean?
NDIS compliance means adhering to the rules laid out by the NDIA and NDIS Commission. This includes:
Conformity with the NDIS Practice Standards and NDIS Code of Conduct
Making correct and truthful payment claims
Only providing supports included in a participant’s plan
Managing conflicts of interest
Behaving fairly and ethically
Following consumer law
Any business wishing to provide NDIS disability support services must make NDIS compliance a priority. You can read more about NDIS providers’ legal requirements on the NDIS website.
What Are the NDIS Practice Standards?
The NDIS Practice Standards and Quality Indicators are a set of requirements published by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. They lay out in detail the obligations of registered NDIS providers.
The Practice Standards are split into several modules. The Core Module is relevant to all registered providers. Then, there are several specialist modules, such as the Early Childhood Supports Module, the Specialist Behaviour Supports Module and the Specialist Disability Accommodation Module.
The type of supports you offer will determine the modules you must comply with. The most recent version of the NDIS Practice Standards is always available on the NDIS Commission’s website.
Why Are the NDIS Practice Standards Important?
The NDIS Practice Standards are fundamental to disability support service delivery for two reasons. One, they ensure that participants receive safe and high-quality NDIS supports. Two, they are the yardstick against which NDIS compliance is measured.
Registered NDIS providers are audited at least every 18 months. In these audits, an approved quality auditor will look for evidence that you’re conforming with the NDIS Practice Standards and Quality Indicators.
Evidence of non-conformity can start a chain of compliance enforcement processes that, in the worst-case situation, may result in deregistration or even banning orders.
How to Comply with the NDIS Practice Standards: 3 Tips
1. Understand the NDIS Practice Standards & Quality Indicators
Familiarity with the Practice Standards is essential to NDIS compliance. While specialist NDIS software can help bake compliance into your processes, it’s no replacement for a thorough understanding of NDIS regulations.
Particularly when it comes to the sections on participant rights and support provision environment, there are some areas of compliance that need to be embedded in your company culture.
2. Create Complaints and Incident Management Processes
Accountability is one of the key tenets of the NDIS Practice Standards. You’re required to have a complaints process and an incident management process. You’ll also need to refer yourself to the NDIS Commission if any reportable incidents occur.
In addition to establishing these processes, you should set up progress note and incident report templates for your carers via your NDIS software. This will help you gather all relevant information, in addition to creating a paper trail.
3. Maintain Comprehensive Digital Records
Record-keeping is one of the best ways to demonstrate NDIS compliance. Not only does it help you deliver more personalised disability support services, but it also provides a chain of evidence.
Use your NDIS software to create digital shift records, complete with location verification, client digital signatures and progress notes. With ShiftCare, you can also set up client funds and goals tracking to ensure that you’re providing supports in line with participants’ NDIS plans.
Make sure you’re also creating a digital record of client consent forms and other essential documents.
Stay Compliant with NDIS Software
ShiftCare’s NDIS software is built around the needs of disability support providers. From managing your carers’ availability to monitoring clients’ funds usage, it provides you with the tools to deliver a higher standard of care and support.
It also comes with a wide range of NDIS compliance features. With detailed digital records for service delivery, document expiry notifications, client digital signatures and a built-in NDIS Price Guide, you’ll find that compliance doesn’t have to be a headache.
What is the compliance process of the NDIS?
The NDIS has several methods for ensuring disability providers’ compliance with the NDIS Practice Standards, with their main compliance process being regular audits. They also have a series of enforcement processes ranging in severity from compliance notices to banning orders.
What are NDIS audits?
NDIS audits are a quality-control measure in which approved auditors check registered disability providers’ processes to ensure they’re complying with the NDIS Practice Standards.
What is the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission?
The NDIS Commission is an independent body responsible for improving the quality and safety of Australia’s disability support services. It regulates disability service providers, investigates complaints, checks audit results and provides education for providers and participants.
