NDIS travel allowance cuts could leave regional kids without care
Outback physiotherapist Keegan Simpson can drive thousands of kilometres just to see one patient.
"We cover an area from Quilpie up to Cloncurry, which is about a quarter of the Queensland state," he said.
The Longreach resident said cuts to the National Disablity Insurance Scheme (NDIS) set to come in from July 1 would make it harder to see patients living with disability on properties in remote parts of the state.
The agency in charge of the NDIS released a pricing review earlier this month, which indicated travel subsidies for allied health professionals would be cut in half and there would be fee reductions for hourly rates.
Mr Simpson fears the cuts will affect care for people in the bush because many cannot get to town for services, relying on home visits.
Mr Simpson said many patients were already worried about the cuts.
"They need to increase their independence so they can function in their day-to-day life."
In the Rutledge family home in Gympie in south-east Queensland, Alannah and her husband Zakkary spend their mornings helping their children, Sophia and Theo, get ready for school, while managing feeding tubes, mobility equipment and constant supervision.
Six-year-old Sophia has Sanfilippo syndrome, a rare and degenerative condition that gradually affects her movement, speech and ability to eat.
Ms Rutledge says she has been told therapists may soon stop travelling to see Sophia due to the cuts.
Sophia's physiotherapist is based nearby, but her occupational therapist and speech pathologist travel to the home.
Ms Rutledge said it had taken years to find clinicians with the expertise to support her daughter's high and complex care needs.
"We are beyond stressed that we will lose really good therapists … it would really impact her and our family," she said.
On the Gold Coast, nine-year-old Nina Miska-McDonald took her first steps with the help of a physiotherapist.
"Before the NDIS, I thought that the only option was to send her to a special school … but she was so social, I wanted her to be able to go to a mainstream school like her brother and sister," her mum Renata Miska said.
"The fact that we could get her walking and holding someone's hand to walk into school, that has really helped."
Ms Miska takes Nina to a physio clinic in Robina for some appointments, but workers come to her home for other support.
Nina's physio Luke Newland said planned cuts to the hourly rate for allied services comes at a time when the fees are already stagnant.
Lauren Newland, who runs Physio4Kids in Robina with her husband Luke, said the support they provided to children was not just about movement but "inclusion".
"When we're cut, kids miss out, they can't go to the sports, they're left behind in the playground, they struggle with stairs at school," Mrs Newland said.
She said she felt allied health services were being "singled out" by the cuts.
The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) said the changes would bring NDIS prices more in line with broader industry benchmarks.
"In some cases, NDIS price limits exceeded the market rate by up to 68 per cent," a spokesperson said.
The agency said the new rules aimed to encourage efficient scheduling, reduce the risk of plans running out too quickly, and deliver better value for participants.
Therapists working in remote and very remote areas will still be eligible for higher price loadings of 40 to 50 per cent.
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"Before these changes, I would say we were surviving, not thriving," Ms Senger said. Although occupational therapy won't see a reduction in pricing caps, it will endure a seventh year without a pricing increase from $193.99. Visits to a client's home, school or work as well as experiences in the community, such as supermarkets and on public transport, are foundational for occupational therapy. Given that, the cut to travel claims will also put additional pressure on Ms Senger's business. "Ultimately, occupational therapy is about life skills, so we practice those in our clinic but if we don't go into the environment, there's no way of knowing if those skills are transferring," Ms Senger said. "And for some of our families, they just can't come here — they're financially strapped or they're single parents with four children who all require care — so we go to them." Ms Senger is now considering introducing a gap fee to cover travel costs. 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"I can't believe that's not been recognised and instead we're being portrayed as money hungry, price-gouging, fraudulent allied health professionals because of a few bad eggs, which are in every profession. "All I want is to provide the best care for my kids and these new changes really stop us from being able to do that." In Australia, more than 65 per cent of NDIS participants have their funds managed by a financial intermediary or plan manager. Jess Harper, the chief executive of Disability Intermediaries Australia, said those working in that sector are also reeling. "It's a pretty big kick in the guts," he said. "It will now be seven years of systemic price freezes. "And on top of that, the NDIA has also made the decision to pretty significantly cut the amount and the type of service plan managers can claim for." From July 1, a one-off establishment fee of $232 will be scrapped and some loading charges will also be removed, with a nationally consistent price introduced. 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"Like aged care, like health, we think it makes a lot of sense for pricing in the NDIS to be independent," Mr Perusco said. He said he was "deeply concerned" that providers of therapy support were going to leave the market. "Organisations are looking at their finances and are going to make very difficult decisions about what they can continue and what they can't," Mr Perusco said. "For some of those organisations, it means they won't continue at all. "If that occurs, participants suffer and particularly those with the most complex needs who need the NDIS the most."
