Airway Suctioning & Secretion Management on the NDIS: A Participant & Family Guide
Airway suctioning on the NDIS: oral and tracheal suctioning, secretion management, who can deliver it safely, what's funded, and finding trained support.
Some people cannot clear secretions from their airway on their own, and suctioning keeps their breathing safe and comfortable. On the NDIS, airway suctioning is high-intensity, airway-critical care, so it must be delivered by people who are trained and assessed for it, with registered-nurse oversight. This guide explains what suctioning and secretion management involve, who can deliver them, what…
What airway suctioning and secretion management involve
Why suctioning is high-intensity, airway-critical care
Who can deliver suctioning
The plan your worker follows and emergency readiness
Equipment and consumables
What the NDIS funds, and what health covers
Getting it funded and finding trained support
Frequently asked questions
Can a support worker do airway suctioning, or does it have to be a nurse?
A support worker can suction if they've been trained and assessed as competent for your specific airway, working under registered-nurse oversight and in line with the High Intensity Support Skills Descriptors. Some higher-risk situations still need a nurse directly. It's never a task someone simply…
Does the NDIS pay for my suction machine and catheters?
Yes. The NDIS can fund the suction machine as assistive technology and the ongoing suction catheters and consumables as part of your supports, when suctioning is a disability-related, everyday need. Your worker's time to deliver it is funded separately from your Core budget.
What's the difference between what the NDIS covers and what the hospital covers?
The NDIS funds the everyday, ongoing suctioning you need to live safely at home because of your disability, including worker time, training, equipment and consumables. Acute medical episodes, hospital treatment and the underlying medical condition stay with the health system.
How do I get airway suctioning funded in my plan?
You'll usually need a letter from your treating clinician confirming the need, a task-specific suctioning plan, and often a nursing assessment to set up worker training and oversight. Bring these to your planning meeting so worker hours, consumables and nurse time are all costed in.
Is it safe to have suctioning done at home?
Yes, when it's set up properly. Safe home suctioning relies on a written plan, workers assessed as competent for your airway, a registered nurse overseeing them, working equipment, and a clear emergency response everyone knows. Those safeguards are what make it safe, not experience alone.
Related guides
- Safe Swallowing at Home: What a Mealtime Plan Means for Your Supports
- How the NDIS Funds Enteral Feeding: Formula, Pumps & Support
- Dysphagia & Mealtime Management on the NDIS: A Participant & Family Guide
- How the NDIS Funds Mealtime Management Plans & Swallowing Assessments
- How the NDIS Funds Suctioning Support & Equipment
- How the NDIS Funds Tracheostomy Support