The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has launched a dedicated national after-hours crisis referral service to support participants experiencing sudden breakdowns in their disability-related supports outside standard business hours. The newly established service, known as the After Hours Crisis Referral Service (AHCRS), is administered by Marathon Health in partnership with the NDIA and aims to provide immediate crisis-response assistance when other support arrangements fail.
The AHCRS is designed for NDIS participants who face a serious disruption—for example, a participant over 18 years old, or a participant under 18 in voluntary out-of-home care arrangements—who present to emergency services because their disability-related supports have become inadequate or unavailable. In such instances, approved referrers may phone the dedicated 1800 number to engage the service.
The service’s “outside business hours” window is defined as weekdays from midnight to 9 am and from 5 pm to 11:59 pm, plus continuous 24-hour operation on weekends and national public holidays. During these times, the AHCRS offers a back-up support avenue when standard support channels are closed or limited. Approved referrers include emergency services such as police, ambulance, public hospitals, acute state mental-health services and state justice officers—each nominated by their respective state or territory governments.
Crucially, the AHCRS does not replace the responsibilities of state or territory governments for mainstream and emergency services (such as housing, homelessness, family violence or other crisis responses). Nor does it alter the existing escalation arrangements available to participants and providers during regular business hours through the NDIS National Contact Centre. Participants should continue to contact the usual channels during business hours.
The introduction of the AHCRS underlines the NDIA’s recognition that crises can and do occur outside standard office hours—and that prompt intervention can prevent further harm or deterioration in a participant’s circumstances. Such service disruptions might otherwise lead to prolonged vulnerability, increased risk of hospitalisation, or extended delays in support re-establishment. By offering a specialist referral pathway during off-hours, the agency intends to reduce the risk, enhance safety and provide a tailored response aligned to disability-related support breakdowns.
For approved referrers, the process is straightforward: when they identify a qualifying situation outside standard hours, they call the AHCRS 1800 number to initiate support. Marathon Health assesses the situation, engages appropriate resources, and coordinates a suitable response to stabilise the participant’s environment and assist in re-establishing supports. Meanwhile, during weekday business hours, the existing NDIS National Contact Centre remains available (Monday to Friday, 8 am to 8 pm local time) for participants (1800 800 110) and providers (1300 311 675).
With this service now operational nationwide, the NDIA emphasises that participants and providers should remain aware of their existing crisis arrangements, know when to contact the AHCRS and ensure they understand the role of mainstream services. In life-threatening emergencies, participants must still call 000.
In summary, the AHCRS is an important enhancement to the NDIS safety-net: by providing an after-hours referral service for sudden support breakdowns, it offers participants—and their allied emergency-service referrers—a means of accessing timely, disability-specific crisis support when other services are unavailable. The launch reflects a greater focus on out-of-hours responsiveness, participant safety, and continuity of support for people with disability.
