7 Tips for Getting the Most from Your NDIS Health & Wellbeing Supports

If you have Improved Health and Wellbeing funding in your NDIS plan, you already have access to supports that can make a genuine difference to your daily life. But having funding in your plan and actually getting value from it are two different things. Many participants find this budget sits underused, or they feel unsure whether they are spending it in a way that connects back to their goals.

This guide gives you seven specific, practical tips to help you spend your Improved Health and Wellbeing budget wisely, choose the right providers, and make sure your supports are actually working for you.

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What does Improved Health and Wellbeing funding actually cover?

Before diving into the tips, it helps to understand what this support category is for. Improved Health and Wellbeing sits under the NDIS capacity-building budget, which means it is designed to help you build skills, independence and long-term wellbeing rather than fund ongoing day-to-day assistance.

Supports that can fall under this category include:

• Dietitian services and nutritional counselling
• Exercise physiology programmes
• Personal training (where it is disability-related and goal-linked)
• Yoga, swimming or other therapeutic physical activities
• Smoking cessation programmes
• Podiatry, where it is linked to a functional goal

The key rule is that the support must be reasonable and necessary, and it must connect to your disability and the goals in your plan. A gym membership on its own is unlikely to be funded, but a structured exercise physiology programme designed to improve your mobility and reduce pain almost certainly qualifies.

If you are unsure whether a specific support is covered, your support coordinator or plan manager can help you interpret your plan. You can also explore how OpenWay works for NDIS participants and families to understand how a marketplace like ours can help you find the right allied health professionals.

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7 tips for getting real results from your health and wellbeing supports

Tip 1: Connect every support back to a specific goal in your plan

This is the most important habit you can build. Before you book a service or commit to a provider, write down in plain language how that support connects to one of your NDIS goals. For example, if your goal is to "increase my ability to walk to the local shops independently," then an exercise physiology programme focused on lower-limb strength has a clear link.

When your supports are goal-linked, they are easier to justify at plan reviews, and providers can tailor their sessions to what actually matters to you. It also helps you avoid spending your budget on supports that feel nice in the moment but do not move you forward.

Tip 2: Ask providers for a written therapy or programme plan before you start

A good allied health provider will not just show up and wing it. Before your first session, ask them to provide a written programme plan that outlines what they intend to do, how often, and what outcomes they are aiming for. This does not need to be a lengthy clinical document - even a one-page summary is valuable.

Having a plan in writing means you can track whether sessions are progressing as expected, and it gives you something concrete to bring to your plan review. It also signals to the provider that you are an engaged participant who expects accountability.

Tip 3: Read your service agreement carefully before signing

Service agreements are legally binding documents, and the details really do matter. Under the NDIS framework, every provider should offer you a service agreement that sets out the supports they will deliver, the price they will charge, how cancellations work, and what happens if either party wants to end the arrangement.

Before you sign, check these specific things:

1. Cancellation policy - how much notice do you need to give, and will you be charged for late cancellations? Under the NDIS Pricing Arrangements, short-notice cancellation fees are permitted, and some providers charge the full session rate.
2. Travel and non-face-to-face time - some providers charge for travel to your home or for time spent writing reports. This should be clearly listed.
3. Review and exit clauses - can you end the agreement if the support is not working, and what notice period applies?

If anything is unclear, ask the provider to explain it before you sign. You are entitled to take time to read it properly - no reputable provider will pressure you to sign on the spot.

Tip 4: Choose a provider whose experience matches your specific disability

"Allied health provider" covers a very wide range of practitioners, and not all of them have experience working with your particular disability or health condition. An exercise physiologist who mostly works with post-surgical rehabilitation patients may not have the same depth of experience with, say, autism or acquired brain injury as one who specialises in those areas.

When you are shortlisting providers, ask directly: "Do you have experience working with people who have [your condition or disability]?" A good provider will give you a specific, honest answer. If they are vague or oversell their expertise, that is worth noting.

Browsing NDIS provider profiles on OpenWay lets you filter by support type and read provider descriptions so you can get a clearer picture of their focus areas before you even make contact.

Tip 5: Use telehealth strategically, but do not let it replace all in-person contact

Telehealth has become a standard delivery option for many allied health services, and for some supports - like dietitian consultations or initial assessments - it works very well. It can also reduce travel time and make it easier to fit appointments into a busy week.

However, for supports like exercise physiology or movement-based therapy, there are real limits to what a practitioner can observe and correct remotely. If you are doing a physical programme, try to have at least some in-person sessions so your provider can check your technique, adjust the programme based on how your body is responding, and pick up on things that are hard to see on a screen.

A good approach is to use in-person sessions for assessments, programme reviews and technique checks, and telehealth for check-ins, education sessions and progress conversations.

Tip 6: Track your progress between sessions

It is easy to show up to appointments without a clear sense of whether things are improving. Between sessions, keep a simple log - even a few lines in a notes app - that records things like: how many times you completed your home programme, any pain or fatigue you noticed, and whether you managed the activities your provider set as targets.

Bring these notes to your next appointment. This kind of real-world feedback is genuinely useful to your provider and often leads to better-tailored sessions. It also builds a record that you can use at your NDIS plan review to demonstrate that the supports have been active and goal-directed.

You do not need a special app or system. A simple dated list in your phone is enough.

Tip 7: Schedule a formal review of your supports at least three months before your plan review

This tip is about timing, and it matters more than most people realise. If you wait until your plan review to discover that a support has not been working, it is too late to adjust course within your current plan. Instead, build in a formal check-in with your provider roughly three months before your plan is due to be reviewed.

At that check-in, ask your provider to give you a written progress summary that covers: what was delivered, what goals were worked toward, what outcomes were achieved, and what they recommend for the next plan period. This document becomes part of your evidence base for your plan review and can support a funding request if you need more, or a different type of support, going forward.

If you work with a support coordinator, share this summary with them well in advance so they can incorporate it into your review preparation. Support coordinators using OpenWay can manage provider shortlists and track enquiries in one place, which makes this kind of coordination much smoother.

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Common mistakes to avoid with health and wellbeing funding

Even with the best intentions, a few common patterns can lead to this budget being wasted or exhausted too quickly.

• Booking too many providers at once. Starting with three or four different allied health services simultaneously makes it hard to tell what is helping and spreads your budget thin. Start with your highest-priority support and add others once you have established a rhythm.
• Not confirming NDIS pricing before your first session. Some providers charge different rates for different funding types. Always confirm in writing that they will be billing under your NDIS plan and at the relevant NDIS price limit.
• Assuming the provider will manage your budget for you. If you are self-managing or plan-managing, you are responsible for tracking your spending. Ask your provider for invoices promptly and check them against your service agreement.
• Stopping supports when you feel better. Improved Health and Wellbeing supports are often most valuable when maintained consistently. Talk to your provider before reducing or stopping sessions - what feels like a plateau may be a sign to adjust the programme, not end it.

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Frequently asked

Can I use Improved Health and Wellbeing funding to pay for a gym membership?

Generally, a standalone gym membership is not considered a reasonable and necessary NDIS support because it is not specifically designed for your disability. However, a structured programme delivered by a registered exercise physiologist at a gym - where the sessions are tailored to your disability-related goals - can be funded. The key is that the support must be disability-specific and goal-linked, not a general health expense that anyone might choose to make.

What is the difference between Improved Health and Wellbeing and Improved Daily Living?

Both are capacity-building support categories, but they cover different things. Improved Daily Living typically funds supports like occupational therapy, speech pathology, psychology and other therapies aimed at building functional skills. Improved Health and Wellbeing is more specifically focused on physical health, fitness and wellbeing outcomes. In practice, some allied health services can fall under either category depending on how they are framed in your plan - your support coordinator or plan manager can help you work out which budget applies to a specific support.

Do I need a referral from my GP to access allied health supports under the NDIS?

For NDIS-funded allied health supports, you generally do not need a GP referral in the same way you might for Medicare-funded services. You can approach a provider directly. However, some providers may request a referral or a report from another health professional as part of their intake process. It is worth asking when you first make contact so you know what to prepare.

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How OpenWay can help

Finding the right allied health provider for your Improved Health and Wellbeing supports takes time, especially when you want someone with genuine experience in your area and your specific disability. OpenWay is a free-to-use marketplace for NDIS participants and families that lets you browse and compare NDIS providers across Australia, read provider profiles, and send enquiries directly - all in one place.

If you work with a support coordinator, they can also use OpenWay to shortlist providers on your behalf, share options with you, and keep track of enquiries as you work through your options together. Visit the support coordinator workspace on OpenWay to see how it works.

OpenWay does not deliver supports, handle NDIS plan funds, or make decisions about your funding. It is simply a place to find and connect with providers who can help you reach your goals.

OpenWay is not part of the NDIS, NDIA or NDIS Commission. Final scope, pricing, travel, cancellation rules and non-face-to-face charges must be confirmed in a written service agreement between the participant (or their authorised support person) and the provider.