We may fund wound and pressure care supports if your disability means you can’t monitor or manage your wound or pressure care on your own. Or if your wounds are caused by your disability.
For us to fund wound and pressure care supports we will need a copy of your wound management plan, wound assessment or pressure care plan.
This could be from your doctor, specialist, enrolled nurse, registered nurse or clinical nurse. A wound management plan, wound assessment or pressure care plan describes the type of ongoing support you need as part of your daily life.
It describes how much and how often you need care for any wounds, the steps to follow and the wound care items that you use.
Wound and pressure care supports may include:
- an enrolled nurse, registered nurse or clinical nurse consultant to develop a wound management plan or pressure care plan
- a support worker, enrolled nurse, or registered nurse to help you with your wound management plan or wound and pressure care plan
- training for a support worker to help you with your pressure care plan
- wound care items like gauze, bandages, dressing and tape to dress wounds
- items to prevent wounds, for example, pressure relief cushions, moisturiser, barrier creams and non-PH wash if used to prevent wounds, not as a replacement of soap
- review and planning of pressure care positioning.
We will only fund these supports if you need them because of your disability.
What if you need wound and pressure care products?
If you need support to manage and prevent wounds we may fund wound and pressure injury care, including wound prevention kits.
If you need wound care items, we’ll need evidence or an assessment from your doctor, specialist, enrolled nurse, registered nurse, or clinical nurse.
Learn more about How do you get wound and pressure care supports in your plan?
What if you need help to manage your wound and pressure care supports?
You might be able to manage your wound and pressure care by yourself. Or you may need help to manage your wound and pressure care. If you don’t have family or carers that can help, we may fund a support worker to help you.
You may need an enrolled or registered nurse to take care of your wounds. Or your support worker may be trained to help you with your:
- wound prevention plan prepared by your clinical nurse
- lymphoedema management plan prepared by your physiotherapist or occupational therapist, including repositioning supports or drainage massages.
We’ll need evidence from your health practitioner to describe who can safely provide the support. This could be from your doctor, specialist, registered nurse, clinical nurse consultant, physiotherapist, or occupational therapist.
You can give us any new information or evidence about your support needs when you get it. If you’re not sure what to give us, you can talk to your my NDIS contact.
We’ll then look at your current supports. For example, you might already have a support worker to help you with self-care or daily living activities.
They may be able to be trained to help you with your minor wound care management. Or you might need additional hours of support.
Learn more about What if you need someone with training to provide the support you need?
Like all supports we fund, wound and pressure care supports must meet the NDIS funding criteria.
Read examples about nursing in the home in our Would we fund it guide – nursing in the home.