Finding a Worker or Nurse Trained in Catheter Care
A catheter care support worker NDIS guide: the skills, competency evidence and nurse oversight to check before catheter care starts.
Catheter care carries real clinical risk — mainly infection — so the right worker is one who has been trained and assessed as competent for your specific catheter, with a registered nurse behind them. This guide shows you where to look, what evidence to ask for, and how to tell whether a task needs a nurse or a trained support worker. It works alongside our pillar guide, Urinary Catheter Care on…
Worker or nurse: who does what
Where to look
The evidence to ask for before care starts
Infection and blockage: the awareness that matters
Nurse oversight: the part people forget
Continuity and a small trusted team
Questions that reveal a genuinely trained worker
Where this sits in the bigger picture
Frequently asked questions
Can a support worker look after my urinary catheter?
Yes, a support worker can carry out routine catheter care, like emptying and changing drainage bags and keeping the area clean, once they have been trained and assessed as competent for your specific catheter, working under registered-nurse oversight. Inserting or changing an indwelling catheter is…
What training does a catheter care worker need?
They should have training mapped to the NDIS High Intensity Support Skills Descriptors for catheter support, plus a competency assessment for your exact catheter set-up. Being experienced is not enough; you want documented, task-specific competency signed off by a registered nurse.
Does a nurse have to do my catheter care, or can a worker?
It depends on the task. Routine care, such as emptying bags, hygiene and monitoring, can be delegated to a trained, competency-assessed worker under nurse oversight. Inserting or replacing an indwelling catheter, and troubleshooting problems, generally stays with a registered nurse.
How do I check a worker is genuinely trained in catheter care?
Ask to see their catheter-specific competency sign-off, who assessed them and when, and which registered nurse oversees their care. Ask how they would recognise a blockage or infection and what they would do. Vague answers or claims of experience without documentation are a red flag.
What are the main risks with catheter care at home?
The biggest is urinary infection, followed by blockages and the catheter being pulled or dislodged. A good worker follows strict hygiene, watches for signs like fever, cloudy or reduced urine, or discomfort, and knows exactly when to escalate to the nurse or call for help.
Related guides
- 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
- Continence Support on the NDIS: A Bladder & Bowel Guide