Occupational Therapy Wollongong

Occupational Therapy · Wollongong & the Illawarra

Occupational Therapy in Wollongong

Mobile occupational therapy assessments across Wollongong, Shellharbour and Kiama. We are a Western Sydney service, about an hour away, and we take Illawarra bookings by arrangement, which is often the fastest route to a finished report when local books are closed.

✓ AHPRA-registered OTs✓ Assessed in your own home✓ Bookings by arrangement✓ Adults & children
Straight up

We are not a local Wollongong practice

We are based in Western Sydney, roughly an hour from Wollongong. We do not have an office, a clinic or a therapist living in the Illawarra. What we do is schedule visits down the coast, and for assessment work that is usually all it takes. If a local occupational therapist can see you inside your timeframe, take that appointment.

Where we are genuinely useful is the situation that has become common here: the report has to happen, the plan review or discharge date will not move, and the local practices with capacity are not taking new NDIS work. We wrote separately about why Illawarra OT capacity has come under pressure and what your options are.

What we do here

Services we provide across the Illawarra

All assessment-based, all completed in your own home. Which of these you need is often unclear at the start, and we would rather work that out on the phone than after a booking.

Functional capacity assessments

The report behind NDIS access requests, plan reviews and external review. Assessed in your own home across one or two visits.

FCA in Wollongong

Home modifications and safety

Rails, ramps, bathroom changes and access. Particularly relevant in the older, multi-level homes common on the escarpment side.

Home modifications

Assistive technology

Assessment, trial and prescription of equipment, from shower chairs and rails through to powered mobility.

Assistive technology

Aged care occupational therapy

Home Care Package and CHSP funded OT for older adults, including falls prevention and safe return home after a hospital stay.

Aged care OT

SIL, SDA and housing reports

Evidence for supported living and specialist housing decisions, including which SDA design category your needs support.

SDA assessments

Mental health occupational therapy

Psychosocial support focused on routine, daily living skills and community participation.

Mental health OT

Local conditions

What makes assessing in the Illawarra different

Two things come up here far more than they do in the flat western suburbs.

Houses built into a hill

The escarpment side of Thirroul, Bulli, Figtree and Corrimal is full of split-level and multi-level homes: entry on one level, bedrooms on another, laundry below. Stairs between essential rooms change what independence means, and they are the single most common reason somebody is told to move house.

We assess the stairs as they are actually used, and we measure rather than estimate.

Ageing in place, near the coast

A large share of our Illawarra work is with older adults rather than NDIS participants, funded through a Home Care Package or CHSP. The questions are different: falls, getting home safely after a hospital stay, and whether the house can be adapted rather than left.

We assess both, and we will tell you which funding pathway looks like the right fit.

How it works

Booking a visit from outside the region

1

Tell us the suburb and the deadline

Those two facts decide whether we can help. We will say yes or no on the phone rather than leaving you waiting to find out.

2

We confirm the right report

Functional capacity, home modification, assistive technology, housing. Getting this right before the visit saves a second assessment later.

3

Paperwork read before we travel

Existing reports, specialist letters and discharge summaries are reviewed in advance, so the visit is spent on what only being in your home can show.

4

The visit

Usually one trip, occasionally two. Where fatigue or falls are part of the picture we assess at the time of day the difficulty actually happens.

5

Report within 2 to 3 weeks

Written against the criteria that matter for your funding pathway, and delivered inside the timeframe you gave us.

Where we go

Wollongong, Shellharbour, Kiama and the northern suburbs

We take bookings by arrangement across Wollongong (2500) and the wider Illawarra, including Thirroul, Bulli, Corrimal, Figtree, Fairy Meadow, Port Kembla, Warrawong, Dapto, Shellharbour and Kiama. Further south, call and ask.

FAQs

Occupational therapy in Wollongong: your questions

Do you have an office in Wollongong?
No. We are a mobile service based in Western Sydney, roughly an hour from Wollongong, and we take Illawarra bookings by arrangement. There is no clinic to visit anywhere; we come to you.
Are you actually available, or is there a waitlist?
We are not on the local Illawarra waitlist, because we are not part of the local market. What we can commit to depends on what is already scheduled, so tell us your suburb and your deadline and we will give you a straight answer, including when the answer is no.
Which Illawarra suburbs do you cover?
Wollongong and the surrounding suburbs including Thirroul, Bulli, Corrimal, Figtree, Fairy Meadow, Port Kembla, Warrawong and Dapto, plus Shellharbour and Kiama. Further south, ask us.
Should I wait for a local OT instead?
If you need regular ongoing therapy every week or fortnight, yes, a local provider will serve you better and we will tell you so. Where we are genuinely useful is assessment work against a deadline, which can usually be completed in one or two home visits.
What funding do you accept?
NDIS plan-managed and self-managed, Home Care Packages, CHSP, Medicare with a GP care plan, and private. We are not an NDIS-registered provider, so we cannot work with NDIA-managed participants.
How does travel work for an Illawarra booking?
Travel is discussed and confirmed before anything is booked, so there are no surprises. What your plan will cover depends on your plan and current NDIS travel rules, which changed in July 2025, so confirm with your plan manager or support coordinator.
Do you see children as well as adults?
Yes. Our AHPRA-registered occupational therapists assess across the lifespan, from early childhood through to older adults.
Do I need a referral?
No. You can contact us directly. Support coordinators, planners, GPs, specialists and hospital discharge teams also refer to us.
Get started

Ask about an Illawarra booking

Send a referral or an enquiry below, or call 1300 316 664. Tell us your suburb and your deadline and we will tell you honestly whether we can help.

An OT who will actually come to you

Talk to our mobile team about occupational therapy in Wollongong, Shellharbour or Kiama. No obligation, and a straight answer either way.

Make a referral or call 1300 316 664