SERVICE AGREEMENT

and South Australia Speech and Hearing Centre (SASHC) Pty Ltd.

and will include any gap periods that may arise for the duration between plans.

This Service Agreement is made for providing supports under the Participant’s NDIS plan. The parties agree that this Service Agreement is made in the context of the NDIS, which is a scheme that aims to:

• Support the independence and social and economic participation of people with disability; and

• Enable people with a disability to exercise choice and control in the pursuit of their goals and the planning and delivery of their supports.

The provider agrees to provide the participant with speech pathology and audiological support (if required) for the duration of the NDIS plan, and any ensuing gap periods that may occur between NDIS plans. This service may include administration of assessments for the purpose of evaluation of therapy outcomes and goal setting, provision of written assessment reports, and/or progress reports if needed.

All prices are GST inclusive (if applicable) and include the cost of providing the supports.

The participant acknowledges and agrees that services provided under this agreement will be delivered in accordance with the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, and will include both face-to-face and non-face-to-face components.

Non-face-to-face (non-contact) components are a standard part of therapeutic supports and are directly related to the planning and delivery of effective, individualised care. These may include, but are not limited to, session preparation, documentation, resource creation, progress reporting, and liaison with other professionals.

As part of our service model, we apply a standard 20 minutes of non-contact time per session to cover these essential activities. This time is charged in accordance with the NDIS guidelines and is included as part of the participant’s funded supports. Additionally, phone calls and emails exceeding 10 minutes will incur charges.

Additional expenses (such as items that are not included as part of a participant’s NDIS supports, including all third party charges, such as educational institutional charges) are the responsibility of the participant or the participant’s representative and are not included in the cost of the supports. Examples include fees for any sessions requested that exceeds the number of sessions allowed for in the NDIS plan.

The responsibilities of the provider are as follows:

• review the provision of supports at least every 6 months with the participant/participant representative;

• provide the participant with services agreed upon, where possible, at a time that suits the participant;

• communicate openly, honestly and in a timely manner;

• treat the participant with courtesy and respect;

• consult the participant on decisions about how supports are provided;

• give the participant information about managing any complaints or disagreements and details of the provider cancellation policy (if applicable);

• listen to the participant’s feedback and resolve problems quickly;

• give the participant a minimum of 24 hours’ notice if the provider has to change a scheduled appointment to provide supports (except in cases of clinician illness or emergency where such notice may not be possible);

• give the participant the required notice if the provider needs to end this Service Agreement (see ‘Ending this Service Agreement’ below for more information);

• provide participants with a summary progress report to be available at the participant’s NDIS review meeting.

The responsibilities of the participant are as follows:

• inform the provider about how they wish the supports to be delivered to meet the participant’s needs;

• treat the provider with courtesy and respect;

• discuss with the provider if the participant has any concerns about the supports being provided;

• give the provider as much notice as possible if the participant cannot make a scheduled appointment. Cancellation fees incurred are covered by the NDIS from the participant’s funding. Please refer to the pricing structure and support catalogue for the current NDIS cancellation policy, as this is subject to change;

• give the provider the required notice if the participant needs to end the Service Agreement (see ‘Ending this Service Agreement’ below for more information);

• let the provider know immediately if the participant’s NDIS plan is suspended or replaced by a new NDIS plan or the participant stops being a participant in the NDIS;

• provide the provider a copy of the letter and relevant paperwork from NDIS regarding extended plans or ceased plans;

• advise the provider 2 months before the review planning meeting with NDIS to allow the provider time to organise a review summary for the NDIS in a timely manner.

The Provider will send out reminders for all scheduled appointments, however, no shows and appointments cancelled within the short notice period (defined by the NDIS as less than 2 clear business days) from the scheduled time will incur a fee of 100% of the agreed fee associated with the activity from the Participant's plan. 

A clear business day is defined as a full working day between the day you contact us and your appointment day. The day you notify us and the appointment day itself does not count. (For example, for a Friday appointment, cancel by Tuesday to avoid a cancellation fee.) While we strive to send reminders, it is your responsibility to inform us if you need to reschedule. Please note, no-shows will also incur the full appointment fee.

Please note that if appointments are cancelled or placed on hold for a period exceeding three consecutive weeks, SASHC cannot guarantee the participant's regular appointment time will be held upon return. Resumption of services will be subject to current availability.

Late attendance

We make every effort to send out appointment reminders, and we ask that you respect our clinicians time. Arriving late not only impacts your appointment, but also those of other patients scheduled throughout the day. Consequently, we are unable to complete full assessments for late arrivals. Therefore, patients who arrive 10 minutes or more past their scheduled appointment time will not be seen, and a full appointment fee will be charged. 

The provider will seek payment for their provision of supports approved by the participant/participant’s representative in the participant’s service delivery plan after the provision of each support. Please note, SASHC is not registered with the NDIS, and as such, we cannot claim for Agency Managed patients.

Outstanding Accounts

Outstanding accounts of more than 30 days without any response to reasonable contact attempts may be referred to an external debt collection agency. To assist with debt recovery, only your contact details will be provided; information regarding your child's treatment and personal circumstances will remain confidential.

Where an invoice remains unpaid and is referred to a third-party debt collection agency, the client will be liable for any reasonable debt collection costs incurred by SASHC in recovering the outstanding amount.

If "Plan Managed" was selected, please provide details below

It is the participants/participant's representatives responsibility to ensure sufficient allocation exists to cover scheduled supports. In the event that NDIS funds are exhausted, the outstanding invoices become the responsibility of the participant/participant's representative.

In order to provide a coordinated service, the provider will communicate with other providers engaged in supports to the participant as required during the duration of this plan. Permission forms will need to be completed by the participant/participant representative prior to release of information or communication between agencies. If the participant’s representative does not wish the provider to have contact with other providers, this will be specified in writing.

The participant’s regular and timely attendance to therapy sessions is required to help the participant work towards their goals. The provider may be required to end this Service Agreement and cease therapy if there are significant patterns of non-attendance.

Participant appointment times are set in agreement between the provider and the participant/participant representative; it is anticipated that participants attend sessions at the allocated times. The provider will send reminders and confirmation text messages to support attendance; however, the provider reserves the right to refuse or provide a shorter session if the participant is late to sessions.

The parties (provider and participant) agree to discuss and review this Service Agreement if changes to the supports are required. The parties agree that any significant changes to this Service Agreement will be in writing, signed, and dated by the parties.

Should either party wish to end this Service Agreement, 2 weeks’ notice will need to be provided in writing. If either party seriously breaches this Service Agreement, the requirement of notice will be waived.

If the participant wishes to offer the provider feedback, the participant is invited to contact the Practice Manager/Director by leaving a message via the reception desk on 08 8272 9997 or emailing info@sashc.com.au. 

For all complaints, the participant is invited to contact the Practice Manager/Director by leaving a message via the reception desk on 08 8272 9997. If the participant is not satisfied or does not wish to discuss the matter with the Practice Manager, the participant is invited to contact the National Disability Insurance Agency by calling 1800 800 110, visiting one of the NDIS offices in person, or visiting ndis.gov.au for further information.

For the purposes of GST legislation, the Parties confirm that:

• a supply of supports under this Service Agreement is a supply of one or more of the reasonable and necessary supports specified in the statement included, under subsection 33(2) of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (NDIS Act), in the participant’s NDIS plan currently in effect under section 37 of the NDIS Act;

• the participant’s NDIS plan is expected to remain in effect during the period the supports are provided; and

• the participant’s representative will immediately notify the provider if the participant’s NDIS Plan is replaced by a new plan or the participant stops being a participant in the NDIS.

Participant/Participant Representative Contact Details

Provider Contact

The parties agree to the terms and conditions of this Service Agreement.

Provider Name : South Australia Speech and Hearing Centre Pty Ltd