How to Find a Worker Trained in PEG / Enteral Feeding
Finding a PEG feeding support worker on the NDIS: the training, competency evidence and registered-nurse oversight to check before feeds start.
A PEG feeding support worker helps you run tube feeds safely at home — setting up, giving, monitoring and packing down feeds through your gastrostomy or other feeding tube. Because enteral feeding carries real clinical risk, the right worker is one who has been trained and assessed as competent for your exact set-up, with a registered nurse behind them. This guide shows you where to look, the…
What "trained in PEG feeding" actually means
Where to look for a trained worker
The competency evidence to ask for before feeds start
Questions that reveal a genuinely trained worker
Nurse oversight: the part families forget
Provider or independent worker, and keeping a small team
Finding and checking someone on Novida
Frequently asked questions
What does it mean for a worker to be 'trained in PEG feeding'?
It means they've been trained and assessed as competent for your exact feeding set-up: connecting and running feeds, giving medication through the tube, monitoring, and managing common problems, following the High Intensity Support Skills Descriptors under registered-nurse oversight. It's specific…
Can a support worker manage tube feeding, or does it need a nurse?
A trained support worker can run routine PEG or enteral feeds once assessed as competent, under nurse oversight and following your feeding plan. A nurse is needed to set it up, provide oversight, and handle higher-risk situations, like a dislodged or blocked tube or changes to your regime.
What evidence should I ask for before feeds start?
Ask to see task-specific competency sign-off for your feeding set-up, who the supervising registered nurse is, and the written feeding plan the worker follows. A dietitian is often involved in the plan too. A genuinely trained worker's provider will share these without hesitation.
What questions reveal whether a worker is genuinely trained?
Ask 'Who assessed you on my specific feeding tube and pump?', 'What would you do if the tube came out or blocked?' and 'Who's the nurse I can call?' Clear, specific answers signal real competency; vague reassurance about 'experience with PEGs' does not.
Should I use a provider or an independent worker for tube feeding?
Either can work if the training and oversight are solid. Registered providers often have nurse oversight built in; independent workers can offer more continuity, but you'll need to confirm who provides their clinical oversight. Either way, keeping a small, trusted, well-trained team makes tube…
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