NDIS High Intensity Support
Nurse-led support for people who live with complex daily care needs, at home and in the community across Westmead and Western Sydney.
Catheters, tracheostomies, ventilators, complex bowel care, injections and wounds can go wrong quickly. When they do, you need a worker who knows exactly what to do, and a nurse who already knows you.
The NDIS calls this kind of support High Intensity Daily Personal Activities. We're Registered Nurses, and high intensity support is what we're trained for. Our support workers are trained, signed off and supervised by our own RN team, so you're never relying on a nurse who visits once and moves on.
Many providers bring in a nurse for a few hours to tick off training, then leave the workers to it. At Good Nurse, the nurses are the provider. We write your plan with you, train every worker on your needs and your equipment, stay on call when something changes, and do the clinical tasks ourselves when they should stay with a nurse.
High intensity supports we provide
Good Nurse is a registered NDIS provider for High Intensity Daily Personal Activities (registration group 0104). We're approved to deliver:
We also support people with epilepsy and seizure management plans, which often go hand in hand with the supports above.
Tube feeding: enteral (PEG or nasogastric) feeding isn't on our current registration, so we don't offer it as a support worker service. If you or someone you support relies on tube feeding, give us a call and our nurses will talk through what we can help with.
How we keep high intensity support safe
The NDIS sets clear standards for high intensity support. Here's how our team meets them in practice.
| What matters | How Good Nurse does it |
|---|---|
| Your plan | One of our RNs builds your support plan with you, your family and your health team. It's kept up to date, easy to follow, and shared with the people you choose. |
| Training | Our RNs train each worker on the support type and then on you: your routine, your equipment and your preferences. Every session is recorded. |
| Competency | Workers are signed off by an RN before they support you alone. We recheck competency every year, after any break of more than three months, and whenever your needs or plan change. |
| Supervision | Workers can reach an RN who knows you, any time they're unsure. They have the policies, equipment and consumables they need. |
| Communication | We learn how you communicate, including any aids, devices or preferred language, and involve your family or support network where you want them involved. |
| Infection control | Hand hygiene, clean technique and the right PPE, every visit. |
| Escalation | Every plan spells out what to watch for, who to call and when. Workers record observations, hand over properly and report incidents. |
| Review | We check in with you regularly. If your plan isn't working, we change it, and we help you give feedback or ask for changes at any time. |
Our team follows the NDIS Code of Conduct and the NDIS Practice Standards, and we're audited against them as a registered provider. Our workers also complete the NDIS Commission's free training modules, including the Worker Orientation Module.
Each support in detail
Tap a support to see what our trained workers do and where our nurses step in.
Complex bowel care
Who it helps
People at risk of severe constipation or faecal incontinence, for example after a spinal cord injury or stroke, or with cerebral palsy, an acquired brain injury or another neurological condition. It also covers people with a stoma.
What our trained workers do
- Follow your bowel care plan, including timing, routine and the type of support you use
- Support you with dignity and privacy, and make sure you're ready before starting
- Help with positioning, hygiene and skin care, and keep you clean and comfortable
- Record bowel motions using the Bristol Stool Chart so changes are picked up early
- Assist with prescribed supports such as suppositories, enemas or abdominal massage
- Recognise warning signs such as pain, vomiting, a change in habits or autonomic dysreflexia, and call for help straight away
- Care for your stoma, change and dispose of bags, and record output
Severe dysphagia management
Who it helps
People who have trouble swallowing, chewing or biting and are at risk of choking, aspiration, poor nutrition or dehydration.
What our trained workers do
- Prepare food and drinks to the texture in your mealtime plan (IDDSI levels) and check it before serving
- Help plan meals you enjoy that are also safe and nourishing
- Support good positioning, a safe pace and mouthful size, and any adapted cutlery or cups
- Watch for coughing, choking or breathing difficulty while eating and drinking, and act straight away
- Hold current first aid training, including choking response
- Help with oral hygiene, which lowers the risk of chest infections
- Make sure mealtimes are relaxed and that you enjoyed your meal
Tracheostomy management
Who it helps
People with a tracheostomy, often related to spinal injury, chronic lung disease or a neuromuscular condition, along with equipment such as suction, humidifiers, nebulisers and heat moisture exchangers.
What our trained workers do
- Follow your plan and any advance care directive
- Clean the stoma site and check your skin
- Suction when needed to keep your airway clear, and look after the suction equipment
- Recognise a blocked tube or breathing difficulty and respond quickly
- Spot stoma problems such as soreness, leaking, bleeding or infection
- Give first aid, CPR and basic life support if needed
Urinary catheter management
Who it helps
People with an indwelling, intermittent (in-out) or suprapubic catheter.
What our trained workers do
- Follow your plan for catheter type and drainage times
- Use clean technique to lower the risk of infection
- Check bag and tube position, empty or change bags, and record urine output
- Insert and remove intermittent catheters where your plan allows, with RN oversight
- Care for a suprapubic stoma site
- Watch for signs of a urine infection, blood in the urine, confusion or a dislodged catheter, and escalate straight away
Ventilator management
Who it helps
People who use a ventilator, either through a tracheostomy or with a mask, and related equipment such as BiPAP, CPAP, suction, oxygen and manual resuscitation bags.
What our trained workers do
- Know your plan, your advance care directive and how much you rely on the ventilator
- Check and log equipment, including back-up ventilators, spare oxygen and suction
- Fit masks properly to prevent pressure injuries
- Run and monitor the ventilator, respond to alarms, and change tubing and batteries
- Recognise breathing distress early, such as drowsiness, colour change or a change in breathing rate
- Follow the emergency plan, including power or battery failure, back-up equipment, CPR and basic life support
- Give a full handover at the end of every shift
Subcutaneous injections (including diabetes management)
Who it helps
People who need medication by injection under the skin, including insulin.
What our trained workers do
- Only give injections that are documented in written orders from your prescriber
- Check the right medication, dose and equipment every time
- Rotate injection sites and keep you comfortable
- Watch for reactions before, during and after, and escalate any concerns
- Handle sharps safely and record every dose
- For diabetes: check blood glucose, recognise and respond to highs and lows, and understand how food, activity and illness affect levels
Complex wound management
Who it helps
People with complex wounds or a high risk of pressure injuries, including those who use equipment such as lymphoedema pumps or circulation devices.
What our trained workers do
- Use correct infection control, including sterile gloves where needed
- Reposition you regularly to protect your skin
- Check your skin for early warning signs such as redness, blistering, swelling or warm areas
- Follow your dressing plan and notice when a wound isn't healing as it should
- Adjust showering, toileting and moving around to protect the wound
- Report changes to your RN promptly
Epilepsy and seizure support
Who it helps
People at high risk of seizures, including those who use seizure monitors, mattress sensors or smartwatches.
What our trained workers do
- Know your seizure types, triggers and warning signs
- Help reduce triggers such as dehydration, constipation or a high temperature
- Respond to early signs and device alarms, use the recovery position and record every seizure
- Give emergency seizure medication as your plan instructs, and monitor you afterwards
- Start CPR and basic life support if needed
Getting started with Good Nurse
What you get with a nurse-led team
- Nurses running the service, not hired in for a few hours to sign off training
- Critical care experience in our RN team, including ICU
- Clinical tasks done by nurses, like catheter changes, tracheostomy tie changes and wound assessment
- Fast escalation to an RN who already knows you
- Documented training and competency records for every worker
- Continuity with the same small team, so you get to know each other
High intensity support across Western Sydney
Our Registered Nurses and high intensity support workers visit participants at home and in the community across Westmead, Parramatta, North Parramatta, Wentworthville, Toongabbie, Seven Hills, Blacktown, Merrylands, Guildford, Auburn, Fairfield, Liverpool, Penrith and the Hills District.
Frequently asked questions
What is high intensity support under the NDIS?
It's support with daily personal activities that carry a higher clinical risk, such as complex bowel care, catheter care, tracheostomy and ventilator support, severe dysphagia, injections and complex wounds. Providers need specific NDIS registration to deliver it, and workers need extra training for each person they support.
Is Good Nurse registered to provide high intensity supports?
Yes. We're a registered NDIS provider for High Intensity Daily Personal Activities (registration group 0104), approved for complex bowel care, severe dysphagia management, tracheostomy management, urinary catheter management, ventilator management, subcutaneous injections and complex wound management.
Do high intensity supports have to be delivered by a nurse?
Not always. Trained support workers can deliver many high intensity supports, as long as a qualified health practitioner oversees the plan and trains the workers. At Good Nurse, that's one of our own Registered Nurses. Tasks that should stay with a nurse, like indwelling and suprapubic catheter changes and tracheostomy tie changes, are done by our RNs.
What's the difference between a high intensity support worker and a regular support worker?
A high intensity support worker has extra training in a specific clinical support, such as catheter care or tracheostomy suctioning, and has been assessed as competent for the person they support. At Good Nurse we recheck that competency every year, after any long break, and whenever your needs change.
How is high intensity support funded in my NDIS plan?
It's usually funded from your Core Supports budget under Assistance with Daily Life, at a price level that reflects your needs. We work with self-managed, plan-managed and NDIA-managed plans. If you're not sure what your plan covers, call us and we'll go through it with you or your support coordinator.
Can you work with my existing health team?
Yes. We build your plan with your GP, specialists and allied health team, such as your speech pathologist, dietitian or occupational therapist, and share it with your consent so everyone is on the same page.
How quickly can support start?
It depends on your needs and how much worker training is required. Start with a free call with one of our Registered Nurses, then an RN assessment at home. We'll give you a clear timeframe once we understand what you need.
Talk to our nurses
Whether you're a participant, a family member, a support coordinator or a plan manager, we're happy to talk through what support is needed and whether we're the right fit.
Speak with a Nurse 24/7: 1300 457 557Contact Good NurseBack to NDIS services
We've written this page in our own words to help participants and families. For the full NDIS requirements, see:
- NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, Supplementary module: High intensity daily personal activities.
- NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, High Intensity Support Skills Descriptors, Version 3 (PDF).
- NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, NDIS Practice Standards.
This page is general information, not clinical advice.