What types of diabetes management supports do we fund?

If you can’t manage your diabetes because of your disability, and it meets the NDIS funding criteria, we can fund:

  • a nurse to create a disability-related diabetes management plan which explains the support you need to follow your Diabetes Care Plan. This could be things like measuring your blood glucose levels or having insulin injections
  • training for support workers in your diabetes management needs
  • a support worker to monitor your glucose levels and give you injections or other medications
  • a nurse to monitor your glucose levels and give you injections, if you have unstable diabetes and complex disability needs
  • assistive technology to help manage your diabetes which you can’t get through the healthcare system.

Learn more about How do we decide what diabetes management supports we fund.

If you can’t manage your diabetes on your own because of your disability, and it meets the NDIS funding criteria, we can fund a nurse to make a disability-related diabetes management plan for you.

This can include funding for:

  • an initial consultation
  • a nurse to write the plan
  • a nurse to review the plan and make any changes you need.

Your disability-related diabetes management plan will describe the extra support you need to manage your diabetes. Your nurse will review the plan once a year, or when your diabetes needs change. 

What if you need someone to carry out your Diabetes Care Plan?

Your Diabetes Care Plan created by your doctor or diabetes nurse will describe how to manage your diabetes. This could be things like measuring your blood glucose levels or having injections.
If you can’t carry out the plan yourself because of your disability, we may fund someone to help you with this.

Learn more about having someone else deliver the support you need.

What is delegated care?

For many diabetes management supports, a registered nurse can train and delegate key tasks. This training could be given to a support worker or enrolled nurse if a family member, friend, or carer can’t do it. This trained worker would directly provide you with the diabetes management support when they are competent in the task. This is called ‘delegation and supervision of care’.

It means that a trained person, such as a support worker or enrolled nurse will complete the task for you, instead of a registered nurse.

For example, to give you injections. If you already have funding for a support worker, we can fund a nurse to train your support workers to carry out your disability-related diabetes management plan. Each visit by a nurse or support worker to test your blood glucose level and give you an injection should take around 15 minutes. We’ll include enough funding for each visit, depending on the number of injections you need each day.

When would we fund training for a support worker?

We’ll fund training for a support worker if:

  • your NDIS plan includes diabetes management supports
  • a family member or friend can’t complete the tasks, and
  • this support can be delegated to a support worker.

We may also fund yearly refresher training if the support worker needs it.

The training for the support worker should:

  • be given by the health treatment team or registered nurse who wrote your Diabetes Care Plan
  • explain how to carry out your specific Diabetes Care Plan
  • teach the support worker how to provide day-to-day care.

Learn more about what if you need someone with training to provide the support you need.

We may fund a nurse to provide support instead of a support worker if you have complex disability support needs and:

  • your diabetes is unstable and needs monitoring and changes to your medications
  • you need a nurse to work out the right amount of insulin you need, and the amount can often change
  • you’re waiting for your support worker to be trained in your diabetes support needs.

If you need a nurse to provide supports, you’ll need to give us evidence from a doctor or endocrinologist.

Learn more in Do you need to provide us with evidence?

What if you need assistive technology to manage your diabetes?

Most people will be able to get the diabetes management supports they need through the National Diabetes Services Scheme or the health system.

Learn more about what help you can get to manage your diabetes through the health system or other services.

We might be able to include funding in your plan for assistive technology. This means equipment or technology to support you with your diabetes management.

For example, a continuous glucose monitoring device and insulin pump. We can only include these supports in your plan if you can give us evidence that:

  • the assistive technology will reduce your need for other supports, such as a support worker or nurse
  • you’ll be more independent
  • it’s an NDIS support for you.

Like all NDIS supports, assistive technology supports must meet the NDIS funding criteria to be included in your plan.

Learn more about Assistive technology.

What supports can you get for children?

Children with diabetes need support from parents or carers, doctors, schools, and communities. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation has information about supports for children with diabetes. This includes supports such as dietary management, support for families, education, and schooling.

We expect parents or carers to look after their child’s daily support needs, including their health support needs. If your child’s diabetes support needs are more than what you can provide as a parent or carer, we may fund them. The support needs must relate specifically to your child’s disability. As with adults, all supports for children must meet the NDIS funding criteria.

Learn more about supports you can get through the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

This page current as of
12 December 2024
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