Bob chooses Northcott for his Support Coordination

“My role is about giving [NDIS] participants choice. It’s about giving customers like Bob the opportunity to access the providers he would like to,” explains Northcott Support Coordinator Carla, who is based at Northcott Tamworth and one of several disability workers currently supporting Bob.

As Bob’s provider of choice for Support Coordination, Northcott plays an important role in ensuring Bob is getting the most from his NDIS plan.

Bob and his guardian Liz (his sister) connected with Northcott around three years ago when he moved from Newcastle to Tamworth. Prior to relocating, Bob hadn’t accessed Support Coordination services. However, moving to a new town meant he needed support to link with services that would meet his needs and wants. Northcott’s Support Coordination service provided the support Bob and Liz were looking for.

“With my support Bob and Liz are able to make educated choices from a variety of service options available locally. I assist in facilitating these choices by setting up services and suggesting possible remedies to any barriers we come across. It is my role, as Support Coordinator, to support Bob and Liz’s choices and ensure that Bob’s health and wellbeing are looked after,” explains Carla, who works closely with other members of Bob’s care team.

“Bob is involved with a range of services. Northcott provides his support coordination. He attends Sunnyfield’s Life Skills program, which he loves because it gives him community access. He is also linked with the Benevolent Society for behaviour and speech therapy. He has a separate provider for his occupational therapy support, and together we’ve supported him with getting assessments for a new wheelchair and an air mattress,” Carla says.

Part of Carla’s role is about ensuring that Bob’s NDIS funding is tracking well. This means making sure all his service providers are claiming correctly and that there is enough funding for the period of his plan. It also means looking for new opportunities so Bob can maximise the use of his funding.

Having supported Bob since his move to Tamworth, Megan has seen how beneficial Northcott’s Coordination of Supports service has been for him and Liz, who lives abroad. Megan and Carla check-in with each other about Bob’s needs almost weekly.

“Having Carla to ring takes the burden off us so much. We just ring or email Carla and let her know what Bob might need and she gets it sorted. This makes Bob’s life a lot better. We can have the things he needs a lot faster,” Megan says.

“I also know that Bob’s behaviours have improved dramatically. He’s much happier now.”