Community Nursing Care referrals for NDIS coordinators
Nursing care delivered in the home and community — continence and wound care, medication management, and clinical care with delegation and training for support workers.
NDIS registration group: Community nursing care
What Community Nursing is under the NDIS
Community Nursing Care is clinical nursing delivered by registered or enrolled nurses in a participant's home or community setting rather than in a hospital or clinic. Under the NDIS it is funded where the nursing need is directly related to a participant's disability and supports their everyday health, function and independence.
It covers a broad range of clinical supports — continence and catheter management, complex wound and pressure care, medication management, enteral (PEG) feeding, stoma and tracheostomy care, and other complex health needs. A central role of the nurse is clinical governance: assessing need, writing care plans, and training and delegating specific tasks to disability support workers so that 'high intensity' daily personal activities can be delivered safely.
The NDIS funds disability-related nursing, not acute or medical care that remains the responsibility of the mainstream health system, GPs and hospitals. Nurses delivering this support must hold current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (AHPRA), and providers are expected to work to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission's High Intensity Support Skills Descriptors.
What it covers
- Continence and catheter assessment and management
- Complex wound and pressure area care
- Medication management, administration and Webster-pack support
- Enteral (PEG/nasogastric) feeding management
- Stoma and tracheostomy care
- Clinical assessment and nursing care plans
- Training and delegation of high-intensity tasks to support workers
- Diabetes management and subcutaneous injections
- Ventilation and complex respiratory support
- Clinical oversight and periodic review of complex health needs
Who it suits
Refer for Community Nursing Care when a participant has disability-related health needs that require a nurse's clinical skill — such as complex wounds, continence or catheter management, PEG feeding, tracheostomy or diabetes support — or where support workers need training and delegated authority to safely deliver high-intensity daily personal activities.
It suits participants with complex or high-support health needs living at home or in the community, and is often used alongside personal care and support work.
How to refer Community Nursing on Novida
Use Novida to search verified Community Nursing Care providers in the participant's area. Filter to providers who deliver the specific clinical supports you need — continence, wound care, complex health — and check their listed registration status and current capacity to take on new referrals before you make contact.
Contact the provider directly with a complete referral so they can assess suitability quickly: participant consent, NDIS number, plan-management type (NDIA, plan or self-managed), the relevant support category or line items and available budget, the frequency and clinical requirements, and any existing care plans or assessments. The more clinical detail you provide up front, the faster a provider can confirm they can meet the need.
Novida is free to use and never sits in the middle of the referral — there is no commission, gatekeeping or lead-selling. You contact the provider directly and manage the referral relationship yourself, exactly as you would if you had found them any other way.
What to check before you refer
- That the provider employs registered or enrolled nurses with current AHPRA registration and has demonstrated experience in the specific supports required (for example tracheostomy, complex wounds or PEG feeding).
- That the participant's plan holds funding that can be used for nursing — typically within Core (Assistance with Daily Life) and/or Capacity Building (Improved Health and Wellbeing) — and confirm which line items apply.
- Whether an RN assessment, care plan and formal delegation are needed before support workers deliver any high-intensity tasks.
Community Nursing — NDIS price limits (2026–27)
- Delivery of Community Nursing Care by Registered Nurse — $124.05 per hour (01_600_0114_1_1)
- Delivery of Community Nursing Care by Enrolled Nurse — $95.1 per hour (01_606_0114_1_1)
How it’s priced
Community Nursing Care is priced on an hourly basis under the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits (the Price Guide), with different price limits applying according to the nurse's level and the complexity of the care. Check the current NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits for the applicable limits rather than relying on figures quoted elsewhere.
Coordinator FAQs — Community Nursing
- Which part of the plan funds community nursing?
- It depends on how the need was assessed. Community nursing and high-intensity personal care are usually funded from Core (Assistance with Daily Life), while nursing assessment, care planning and some health supports can sit in Capacity Building (Improved Health and Wellbeing). Check the participant's plan and statement of supports, and…
- Do I have to use a registered provider?
- For NDIA-managed (agency-managed) participants, yes — you must use an NDIS-registered provider. Plan-managed and self-managed participants can use unregistered providers. Regardless of NDIS registration, every nurse delivering this support must hold current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (AHPRA), so always…
- What is the difference between community nursing and high intensity daily personal activities?
- Community nursing is clinical care delivered by a nurse. High intensity daily personal activities are complex personal supports — such as bowel care, PEG feeding or catheter care — that a trained support worker can deliver under a nurse's oversight. The two overlap: an RN often assesses, trains and delegates so support workers can carry…
- Can support workers deliver these tasks instead of a nurse?
- Yes, for many high-intensity tasks — provided a registered nurse has assessed the participant, developed a care plan, and trained and formally delegated the task to a competent support worker. The NDIS Commission's High Intensity Support Skills Descriptors set the expected standard. This model is common and cost-effective, but the nurse…
- Does the NDIS fund nursing, or is that the health system's job?
- The NDIS funds nursing that a participant needs because of their disability and that supports everyday function — for example ongoing continence or complex wound management. Acute, post-operative and medical care, GP services and hospital treatment remain the responsibility of the mainstream health system. If a need is clearly…
- What should I include in a nursing referral?
- Include participant consent, NDIS number, plan-management type, the relevant support category or line items and available budget, the clinical need and frequency, and any existing assessments or care plans. For nursing specifically, add clinical detail — wound type, catheter or PEG specifics, diabetes management needs — so the provider…
- Does the participant need a nursing assessment first?
- Usually, yes. Most providers complete an initial RN assessment before regular care begins, to establish the clinical need, write a care plan and set up any delegation to support workers. This assessment is itself a fundable nursing activity. Where a hospital or existing provider has already assessed the participant, sharing that…
- Can I arrange after-hours or on-call nursing?
- Some providers offer after-hours, weekend or on-call nursing, but availability varies widely, so check capacity before you refer. After-hours and public holiday supports may attract different price limits under the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits. If a participant has predictable overnight clinical needs, discuss this with the…
Related NDIS registration groups
- Therapeutic Supports referrals
- Early Childhood Supports referrals
- Exercise Physiology & Personal Wellbeing referrals
- Specialist Behaviour Support referrals
- Improved Relationships & Social Skills referrals
How to check a provider’s credentials
- NDIS Commission provider register — NDIS registration
- How worker screening works — Worker screening
- Make a complaint to the NDIS Commission — Complaints & conduct