Pressure Injury Prevention & Care on the NDIS: A Participant & Family Guide
Pressure care NDIS guide: preventing and managing pressure injuries, the mattresses and cushions funded as assistive technology, and worker support.
If your disability limits how much you move, your skin is at risk of pressure injuries — and preventing them is far easier than healing them. The NDIS can fund the equipment that takes pressure off your skin, the worker support to reposition you and check your skin, and the nurse care if a wound does develop. This guide explains what pressure care involves, and how prevention, equipment and care…
What pressure injuries are and who's at risk
Prevention comes first
Pressure-relieving equipment
Repositioning and skin checks: the worker's role
When a pressure injury needs wound care
How pressure care is funded across your plan
Finding workers and clinicians who understand pressure care
Where this sits in the bigger picture
Frequently asked questions
What is pressure care and who's at risk?
Pressure care is preventing and managing pressure injuries — damage to skin and tissue from staying in one position too long. Anyone whose disability limits movement is at risk, especially people who use a wheelchair or spend long periods in bed. Prevention through repositioning, equipment and skin…
Does the NDIS fund a pressure-relieving mattress or cushion?
Yes — pressure-relieving mattresses and cushions are funded as assistive technology from your Capital budget, following an occupational therapy or AT assessment that recommends the right product for you. The assessment is the key that unlocks the funding, so it's worth arranging one early.
Can a support worker do repositioning and skin checks?
Yes. Regular repositioning and checking your skin for early warning signs (redness that doesn't fade, broken skin) are part of a trained worker's role, guided by a plan. Where the risk is high, this may be high-intensity support needing specific training and nurse oversight. The worker time comes…
What happens if a pressure injury develops into a wound?
If skin breaks down into a pressure wound, it needs proper wound care — often starting with a registered nurse who assesses it, writes a wound management plan and oversees treatment. The NDIS can fund this ongoing, disability-related wound care at home, while acute or infected wounds may need…
How is pressure care funded across my plan?
It spans your budgets: equipment (mattress, cushion) as assistive technology in Capital, worker time for repositioning and skin checks in Core, and any nurse assessment, plan and oversight funded as disability-related supports. Bringing an OT and, if needed, a nurse into your evidence helps each…
Related guides
- Subcutaneous Injections on the NDIS: A Participant & Family Guide
- Finding a Nurse for Wound Care at Home (NDIS)
- Complex Wound Care on the NDIS: A Participant Guide
- Disability-Related Health Supports on the NDIS: What's Funded
- Finding a Worker or Nurse Trained in Diabetes Management
- How to Find a Support Worker Trained in High-Intensity Supports