NDIS Community Nursing Care in Craigieburn
NDIS Services at You Belong Care
- Assist Travel Transport
- Daily Living Life Skills
- Daily Personal Activities
- Group Activities
- Household Tasks
- Innovative Community Participation
- Supported Independent Living
- Life Stage Transition
- Community Participation
- High-Intensity Daily Personal Activities
- NDIS Support Worker
- Community Nursing Care
- Respite Care
- Therapeutic Supports
- NDIS Dietitian & Nutritionist
- Youth Mentoring
- Disability Accommodation
- SIL Vacancies
- NDIS Worker Screening Check
Community nursing care is the NDIS funding category for clinical nursing delivered where the participant actually lives — at home, in a SIL house, in a respite setting. Registered nurses (RNs) and enrolled nurses (ENs) do the work: wound care, medication reviews, catheter changes, stoma assessment, nursing education for family carers.
It exists because a lot of participants have ongoing clinical needs that do not require hospitalisation but do require nursing expertise. Sending participants to a GP or emergency department every time a wound needs assessing is expensive, disruptive and often unnecessary. Community nursing brings the clinical care to the person.
You Belong Care runs a community nursing service across Craigieburn and surrounding suburbs, delivered by AHPRA-registered nurses with experience in disability nursing specifically.
What Community Nurses Deliver
- Wound care — assessment, dressing, pressure injury management
- Medication review and management
- Catheter changes — indwelling, suprapubic, intermitten
- Stoma care and education
- Continence assessment and care planning
- Diabetes care including insulin administration and blood glucose monitoring
- Subcutaneous injections
- Clinical assessment and monitoring — vital signs, skin integrity, nutrition
- Liaison with GPs, specialists, allied health
- Nursing education for family carers and support workers
Who Community Nursing Is For
NDIS community nursing funding is for participants with a disability-related health condition that needs ongoing clinical input. Typical cohorts:
- Participants with stage 3 or 4 pressure injuries requiring regular dressing changes
- Participants with surgical wounds during a recovery period
- Participants with long-term indwelling catheters (urethral or suprapubic)
- Participants with stomas — colostomy, ileostomy, urostomy
- Participants with diabetes who cannot self-administer insulin and need an RN to deliver or train a support worker
- Participants with complex medication regimes requiring RN oversight and periodic review
- Participants with chronic conditions — COPD, heart failure, chronic kidney disease — funded under NDIS alongside their disability
- Participants recently discharged from hospital still requiring clinical care at home
If you are unsure whether your situation qualifies, contact us or your support coordinator — we review your plan and advise.
Wound Care Services
Wounds are one of the most common reasons participants need community nursing. Pressure injuries, surgical wounds, skin tears, diabetic foot ulcers and chronic venous ulcers all benefit from proper nursing assessment and dressing.
Our wound care process:
- Initial assessment by the RN — documenting wound size, stage, exudate, tissue type, surrounding skin.
- Wound plan drafted in consultation with GP and wound specialist where relevant.
- Dressing schedule established — could be daily, every 2-3 days, or weekly depending on the wound.
- Photography with consent, at standardised intervals, to track progress.
- Re-assessment every 2 weeks or more often if the wound is not progressing.
- Escalation pathway if deterioration is noted — back to GP or wound clinic.
We use a formulary aligned with Victorian wound management guidelines. Products are selected for wound type, not by what we happen to have in the boot — the RN picks the right dressing for the stage and exudate.
Medication Management
Medication issues are quiet drivers of hospital admissions for participants with disability. A missed dose of a key medication, a duplication because two prescribers do not know about each other, or a medication that stops working well can all trigger avoidable decline.
Our medication management services include:
- Webster pack review and set up, working with the participant’s pharmacy
- Medication reconciliation after hospital discharge
- Home Medicines Review coordination (the RN does not do the HMR itself — a credentialed pharmacist does — but we coordinate the referral)
- Training support workers on medication administration for a specific participant
- Injections: vitamin B12, hormones, anticoagulants, insulin
- Schedule 8 medication administration where workers cannot
- Escalation and liaison with GP when medication changes are needed
Catheter and Stoma Care
Long-term catheters and stomas need regular nursing input. We cover:
- Indwelling urethral catheter changes — typically every 12 weeks
- Suprapubic catheter changes — usually every 6-8 weeks
- Intermittent self-catheterisation training for participants and carers
- Bladder washouts for participants with chronic UTIs or sediment issues
- Colostomy, ileostomy and urostomy stoma care — bag changes, skin assessment, accessory advice
- Stoma reversal follow-up care
- Troubleshooting: leaks, skin breakdown, blockage, UTI prevention
Diabetes Care
For participants with diabetes (type 1 or type 2) alongside their disability, community nursing can provide:
- Insulin administration where the participant and support workers cannot manage it
- Blood glucose monitoring education and oversight
- HbA1c trend review and escalation to GP
- Foot assessment and preventive foot care education
- Hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia management plans
- Training support workers in safe insulin delivery for a specific participant
| Community Nursing | HIDPA Worker |
|---|---|
| RN or EN — clinical qualifications | Disability support worker with task-specific training |
| Shorter visits — 30 minutes to 2 hours | Longer shifts — multiple hours as primary carer |
| Assessment, clinical intervention, decision-making | Delivery of defined tasks under established plan |
| Signs off HIDPA worker competency for complex tasks | Delivers the daily routine including HIDPA tasks |
| Funded: Community Nursing Care line item | Funded: HIDPA line items |
How Community Nursing Is Funded
Community Nursing Care is a Core Supports line item within Assistance with Daily Life. Specifically, it is priced at NDIS Price Guide rates based on whether the nurse is an RN or EN.
- Typical funding allocations vary:
- Participant with one chronic wound requiring weekly dressings: 1-2 hours/week
- Participant with complex medication regime and monthly catheter changes: 3-5 hours/month
- Participant with multiple clinical needs needing regular RN visits: 10-20 hours/week
If your plan does not currently fund community nursing but your needs suggest it should, a plan review with clinical evidence can usually secure it.
How to Start Community Nursing Care
- Call us or submit a referral. Include recent clinical letters from your GP or specialist.
- Initial nursing assessment (60-90 minutes at your home). The RN reviews your history, examines current clinical issues, and drafts a care plan.
- Care plan signed off. Plan is shared with your GP and any specialists. Support workers receive task-specific training if they will deliver any parts of the plan.
- Regular nursing visits begin. Cadence depends on need — weekly, fortnightly, monthly.
- Re-assessment every 3 months. The plan adapts to changes in your clinical picture.
Book a Nursing Consultation
The first step is a 60-90 minute nursing assessment at your home. Bring recent medical correspondence if you have it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is community nursing care under NDIS?
Contact a registered NDIS provider. We match a trained, screened worker to your needs — usually within 1-2 weeks for common profiles, longer for specific language or skill requirements. A meet-and-greet happens before the first shift.
Who qualifies for community nursing through NDIS?
Participants with a disability-related health condition needing ongoing clinical nursing input — wounds, catheters, stomas, complex medication, diabetes management, chronic conditions. Your GP or specialist can provide evidence for a plan review if your plan does not currently fund it.
How is this different from hospital or aged care nursing?
Community nursing comes to you rather than you going to hospital. The focus is on ongoing chronic care, not acute treatment. Training and registration are identical — all our nurses hold current AHPRA registration.
Are your nurses AHPRA registered?
Yes. Every nurse on our team holds current AHPRA registration — RN (Bachelor of Nursing or higher) or EN (Diploma of Nursing). Registration is checked annually at renewal.
How much community nursing can I be funded for?
It depends on your clinical needs and plan. Light users might have 2-4 hours per month. Complex participants might have 10-20 hours per week. Your plan determines what is available.
Can community nursing train my support workers?
Yes. One of the most valuable uses of community nursing funding is nurse-led training of support workers on participant-specific tasks — wound care technique, medication administration, catheter troubleshooting. The nurse trains and signs off, then support workers deliver under that sign-off.
Do nurses work weekends?
Yes, for participants who need weekend visits. Standard scheduling is weekdays but weekend and after-hours visits are arranged where clinically needed.
Can my community nurse also visit me in hospital?
No — inpatient care is the hospital’s job and is funded by Medicare, not NDIS. But we can liaise with hospital staff before discharge to ensure continuity.
Do you provide palliative care?
We deliver palliative-aligned care for participants with progressive conditions — comfort, symptom management, family support. Specialist palliative care (end-of-life) is usually delivered by palliative care services and we work alongside them.
How do I start?
Call +61 479 183 696. Initial consultation with the RN within 1-2 weeks, care plan within a further 1-2 weeks. Most participants are receiving regular nursing within a month of enquiry.