Bowel Care Safety: Questions to Ask & What a Good Routine Looks Like
A bowel management plan NDIS guide: what a good, safe bowel care routine looks like, the safety questions to ask, and warning signs to know.
Safe bowel care runs off a written bowel management plan and a trained worker who follows it every time. If bowel care is part of your life or the life of someone you support, knowing what a good, safe routine looks like helps you tell when things are being done properly. This guide explains what a bowel management plan is, what a good routine looks like day to day, and the questions to ask to…
What a bowel management plan is
What a good plan covers
What a good routine looks like day to day
Warning signs everyone should know
The safety questions to ask
Who keeps the plan up to date
Recording and escalation
Where this sits in the bigger picture
Frequently asked questions
What is a bowel management plan?
It's a written clinical document that sets out exactly how your bowel care is done — the method, timing, products and what to watch for — so every worker follows the same safe routine. It's usually written by a registered or continence nurse who knows your needs, and your workers follow it step by…
Can a support worker do bowel care, or must it be a nurse?
A support worker can deliver complex bowel care if they've been trained and assessed as competent for your specific routine, working under registered-nurse oversight, in line with the NDIS High Intensity Support Skills Descriptors. Higher-risk situations, or an unstable presentation, may need a…
How often should a bowel management plan be reviewed?
It should be reviewed whenever your health, medication or routine changes, and otherwise on a regular schedule set by the nurse who wrote it — often at least yearly. An out-of-date plan is a safety risk, so it's fair to ask when it was last checked.
What warning signs should everyone know?
Key signs include no bowel motion for several days, ongoing pain or bloating, bleeding, or signs of autonomic dysreflexia (a pounding headache, sweating or a sudden blood-pressure spike) in people with spinal cord injury. The plan should say what to do and when to escalate or call 000.
Does the NDIS fund the bowel management plan itself?
Yes. Where bowel care relates to your disability, the NDIS can fund the nurse time to write and review your plan, plus the trained worker time to deliver the routine. The plan is the clinical evidence that makes safe, funded support possible.
Related guides
- Finding a Worker or Nurse Trained in Catheter Care
- Complex Bowel Care on the NDIS: A Participant & Family Guide
- How the NDIS Funds Complex Bowel Care & Bowel Management Plans
- How the NDIS Funds Catheter Care & Supplies
- How to Get Continence Aids Funded Through the NDIS
- The NDIS Continence Assessment: What It Is & How to Prepare