The most difficult aspect of accessing appropriate nursing care is not receiving it but finding it for many Australians with disability. Waiting rooms, transport, an entire day rearranged around one appointment, it all adds up quickly. That is where the NDIS Community Nursing Care comes in, offering people qualified registered nursing support in their home, rather than having to seek out support at the centre. It’s written to give an overview of what the NDIS is, who is eligible for it, and how it occurs in everyday language – no jargon, no jargon.
Therefore, what comes under this type of Support?
In essence, community nursing in the context of the NDIS is clinical nursing provided outside hospitals or established clinical facilities, typically in the participant’s home but in some cases community settings. It is provided by registered nurses (RNs) or enrolled nurses (ENs) who work directly with the participant to address health issues related to the disability.
It’s important to understand that this is not. It is not intended to replace a GP or specialist. Instead, NDIS Community Nursing Care has an important, role specific and actual purpose – it is the provision of actual, ongoing, hands-on nursing care to ensure individuals remain well, safe and independent of hospital admission.
A plan is usually funded under Core Supports or Capacity Building and not in place of personal care and allied health supports, depending on how it works out.
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If you ask 10 people what nursing support should look like day to day, you will likely get 10 different responses, since everyone has different needs.
In general, these types of assistance can encompass:
- Wound care, dressing changes and slow healing/complex wounds
- Catheter care and bladder management
- Continence support and structured bowel care programs are provided.
- Tracheostomy care and Airway Management
- PEG feeding and enteral nutrition support
- Administration of medication, including complex or multi-drug regimes
- Insulin and glucose monitoring for diabetes control
- Post-surgical recovery support
- Continual health evaluations and management of chronic health conditions
- In person training with family member or support worker
Some participants require a nurse to call daily. Some may require only a check-in every other week.
That’s the whole point isn’t it? That is what good home nursing support does, it bends around the person, not the other way around.
But is it really the right fit for you?
However, not all individuals who use the NDIS require support from a nurse and that’s okay, the scheme is about goals and needs according to the individual.
In general, the NDIS Community Nursing Care would be applicable if an individual has:
- A disability with an associated clinical or ongoing health care need
- Complex health needs which need regular monitoring from a trained nurse.
- Recent hospital discharge requiring ongoing clinical care at home
- Family carers or support workers who require training to safely undertake specific tasks relating to their family member’s health.
Whether it ends up funded in a plan comes down to whether it’s deemed reasonable and necessary, usually established with input from a treating team, support coordinator, or planner.
If you feel that such support is needed and not actually in your plan, it is something that can be raised at the next plan review (with evidence from GP or specialist).
Why Caring at Home is Better than a Clinic Visit
This type of care has become increasingly popular in recent years for a reason. At-home nursing care isn’t only more convenient, but it’s often more effective as well.
Participants do not have to endure the physical and emotional stress of travel to appointments which can be very fatiguing and even impractical for many. There is also an element of seeing the real life of the person, which one wouldn’t see during a visit to a clinic; someone might be bothered by limited mobility or the difficulty of getting a wound to heal.
Family members and support workers can be taught in real time, in the actual environment where care is delivered, instead of demonstrating in a controlled clinical environment.
Plus, a nurse, or small team of nurses, who knows a person’s history well, and has repeatedly seen them will recognise a small problem, before it becomes big enough for hospital admission, which is often the case when there are multiple health problems.
One of the largest reasons why families are requesting the following support under the NDIS Community Nursing Care category is that they don’t need to coordinate and manage their own individual supports.
Transforming Funding to Daily Supports.
The beginning tends to be pretty clear once you get started, although the specifics vary from person to person based on their plan.
First, there must be a specific plan in the NDIS that includes a nursing support need, commonly under Core Supports (Assistance with Daily Life) but also within some Capacity Building categories.
A support coordinator or Local Area Coordinator (LAC) can help to request funding at the next plan review if it has not already been provided, with evidence usually provided by a GP or specialist confirming the clinical need.
After funding is confirmed, the next step is selecting a registered provider that provides NDIS Community Nursing Care where you live.
A good provider will conduct an evaluation to get to know the individual’s needs, develop a plan of care in partnership with the individual, family and other care providers involved.
From there, visits are planned on regular basis generally, with flexible frequency and/or focus as the situation evolves over time.
Once more, not all providers are created equal. Since this type of support entails actual clinical services, the provider that a person chooses can mean a lot.
Some helpful things to look out for before making a decision:
- Are their nurses registered with AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency)?
- Do they have actual, useful experience with the specific condition or care need in question?
- Are they registered as an NDIS provider with the appropriate practice certificate?
- How do they handle after-hours support, or genuine emergencies?
- Do they have the continuity of care or do they change nurses from visit to visit?
- But what does the current customer (or their family) have to say about communication and reliability?
A quality NDIS Community Nursing Care provider will not just fill in boxes and complete a form, they will take the time to comprehend a person’s plans, their household, and their individual choices and develop a plan with this in mind.
The Bottom Line
Good nursing care should not involve deciding between comfort and care. This type of support is there so that participants are not forced to make that trade-off, and it is to have registered, educated skilled clinical support in their home, throughout Australia, on a schedule that allows them to live their life.
NDIS Community Nursing Care can be a really big difference in the day to day for someone dealing with a complex chronic condition, recovering from surgery or even just needing a little extra clinical support so they can live independently.
If you or someone you know could benefit from this, begin by meeting with a support coordinator, LAC, or a registered nursing provider who can go over your eligibility, funding options, and next steps with you.
FAQ’s
1. What is NDIS Community Nursing Care?
NDIS Community Nursing Care is clinical nursing that is provided outside of hospital, in a participant’s home or community setting. Registered or enrolled nurses deliver care including wound care, catheter management, medication, and monitoring of chronic health conditions.
2. What type of nursing support can people qualify for?
Eligibility is based on the reasonableness and necessity of nursing care for the person’s disability related needs. This usually applies to individuals with complex health needs, individuals who are recently discharged from hospital or individuals requiring regular clinical monitoring relating to their disability.
3. How can I request a component for nursing support on my NDIS plan?
Nursing support should be incorporated in an NDIS Plan, typically under Core Supports. If it is not being funded then a support coordinator or Local Area Coordinator can assist in making a request for funding at the next plan review with evidence from a GP or specialist.
4. What’s the difference between community nursing and standard home care?
Clinical, provided by a registered or enrolled nurse in the community and including activities such as wound care or medication management. By contrast, usual home care usually involves care in everyday tasks of living that do not require clinical assistance, like cleaning, cooking or helping with personal hygiene.
5. Are family members or support workers able to be trained by these services?
Yes. Many providers incorporate training as part of their services, so family members and/or support workers are able to complete a range of tasks in a safe manner between nurse visits, such as administering medicines, supporting with feeding or change in a wound.
6. Whenever will the nurse really come?
The frequency of visits is highly dependent on individual clinical needs, with some receiving daily visits for complex conditions, while others may visit fortnightly or monthly for more stable situations. Care plans are reviewed regularly and, over time, adapted as needs change.
7. Where can I find a trusted provider in my area?
Find a registered NDIS provider whose staff are registered nurses with AHPRA, experience in the right clinical field and positive feedback from their clients. A support coordinator may be able to help identify trusted providers in their local area or the NDIS Provider Finder can be used to find registered nursing services in an area.
