Hopefully federal politicians and public servants with direct connections to the troubled care provider are sitting up and taking notice.

One of the most alarming outcomes of the hearings, which are being conducted by a parliamentary committee, is little appears to have changed since the release of an interim productivity commission report, commissioned by the treasurer, Scott Morrison, almost 12 months ago.

The commission's interim position paper, released on June 13 last year, stated: "the speed of the NDIS rollout, as specified in bilateral agreements between governments, has put the scheme's success and financial sustainability at risk".

This had been manifest "in poor outcomes such as confusion for many participants about planning processes; rushed phone planning conversations; inadequate pre-planning support for participants; problems for providers with registering, pricing and receiving payment; and a lack of effective communication".

That sounds uncannily like what many Canberrans have been telling the ACT inquiry in recent weeks.

It is also likely to be the root cause of why so many locals, who initially expected the NDIS to be a game changer that would revolutionise their access to disability support, have been dropping out in droves.

Fairfax recently reported six per cent of the 6,069 Canberrans approved for plans under the NDIS had dropped out.

That compared to just two per cent of the 130,455 people who had been approved Australia wide.

In the four months between September and December, 2017, 101 Canberrans left. A total of 139 signed up over the same period; a net gain of 38 new participants or about 10 a month.

This is pretty strong evidence that, for ACT residents at least, the $22 billion program just isn't cutting the mustard.

When asked to comment on why so many people were cutting their ties the ACT's Disability Reference Group said while the National Disability Insurance Agency had worked "heroically" to bring almost 500,000 people onto the scheme in just six years there were failings.

These included some individuals being left in limbo for months and others being continually routed through call centres rather than being allowed to speak directly to the people handling their cases.

Mental Health Community Coalition ACT said in some cases people had been "left in a worse position" once they transitioned to the NDIS.

That would appear to be the case for Louise Bannister who told the inquiry on Tuesday that when she asked for a new battery for her wheelchair and some simple modifications to her home she was told she should consider moving into a group house away from friends and family.

To say this was absurd and unhelpful in the extreme would be an understatement.

While there is no doubt the NDIS is a well-intentioned, and overdue, reform and that many of its staff are struggling with heavy workloads in order to do the best by their clients, it is equally apparent the roll-out to date has not met either community or client expectations.

The NDIS represents a $22 billion investment by the Australian people in the welfare of some of the weakest and most vulnerable members of our community.

Let's make sure we get it right.