NDIS high intensity support is the term for daily personal activities that need extra skill, such as enteral feeding, catheter management or tracheostomy care. If you or someone you care for relies on one of these, the details matter. This guide explains which supports are on the official list, who can deliver them, how workers must be trained, and how to ask for the funding. The facts here come from the NDIS and the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
Quick summary
- NDIS high intensity support covers eight daily personal activities on the NDIS Commission’s list, from complex bowel care to complex wound management.
- A nurse does not have to deliver these supports, but workers must have the right training.
- Training for severe dysphagia management must come from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
- A registered provider can only deliver the high intensity supports listed on its certificate of registration.
- The NDIS may fund a nurse, a trained worker, or training for family and friends.
- You can ask the NDIS to add these supports to your plan at any time.
What is NDIS high intensity support?
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission calls these supports “high intensity daily personal activities”. When a provider supports someone who relies on them, its workers need the skills and knowledge set out in the Commission’s high intensity support skills descriptors.
According to the NDIS Commission, the high intensity supports are:
- complex bowel care
- enteral feeding and management
- severe dysphagia management
- tracheostomy management
- urinary catheter management
- ventilator management
- subcutaneous injections
- complex wound management.
On the funding side, the NDIS groups this kind of help under disability-related health supports. These help you manage a health condition caused by your disability. One way to receive them at home is through community nursing, although, as the next section explains, a nurse is not the only option.
Who can deliver NDIS high intensity support?
The NDIS Commission states that it is not a requirement for these supports to be delivered by a nurse or other health or allied health practitioner. Instead, the focus is on training.
Where relevant, an appropriately qualified health practitioner should train workers, or a person who meets the skills descriptor for that support. There is one firm exception. Only an appropriately qualified health practitioner may deliver training for severe dysphagia management.
Registration matters too. To be registered for high intensity daily personal activities, a provider must be assessed against the relevant NDIS Practice Standards. In addition, a registered provider can only deliver the high intensity supports set out in its certificate of registration. You can check any provider’s registration groups on the NDIS Commission provider register.
Nurses remain one route. The NDIS gives the example of funding for a registered nurse who can change a urinary catheter. It also gives the example of a support worker who can provide a feed safely using your PEG. Our guide to NDIS community nursing explains how nursing fits into a plan.
What good NDIS high intensity support looks like
The NDIS Commission sets the same core expectations for each high intensity support. So, whoever supports you, you can expect:
- to be involved in the assessment and in developing the plan for your support
- with your consent, regular and timely reviews of your health by an appropriately qualified health practitioner
- a plan that sets out how risks, incidents and emergencies will be managed, including when to escalate
- workers trained for your specific needs, not just the task in general.
For severe dysphagia management, the plan should also record your individual needs and preferences, such as for food, fluids, preparation techniques and feeding equipment.
What the NDIS may fund
According to the NDIS, funding for disability-related health supports may include:
- someone to provide the support, like a nurse or a qualified therapist
- expert training for the people who support you
- some equipment, like continence products, dressings or food products for your PEG
- some assistive technology, such as pressure care cushions or a cough assist machine.
A support worker, family member or friend may also be able to help. In that case, the NDIS may fund a qualified practitioner to train them. Before they support you, the NDIS says they must be trained by an appropriately qualified health professional, trained for that task specifically for you, experienced in that task, and competent.
However, the NDIS cannot fund what the health system provides. For example, it lists services at public or private hospitals, ambulance transport, medicines and palliative care.
How to ask for it in your plan
You can ask the NDIS to include disability-related health supports in your plan at any time. First, you need to give the NDIS evidence of what you need. The NDIS suggests starting with your treating healthcare professional or allied health provider. Your my NDIS contact can then help you understand what evidence to provide.
If your request is not approved, the NDIS will tell you why. You can then ask for an internal review of the decision. Likewise, if your situation changes, you can ask for a change to your plan.
Frequently asked questions
What are high intensity supports in the NDIS?
NDIS high intensity support covers eight activities on the NDIS Commission’s list: complex bowel care, enteral feeding and management, severe dysphagia management, tracheostomy management, urinary catheter management, ventilator management, subcutaneous injections and complex wound management.
Does NDIS high intensity support have to be done by a nurse?
No. The NDIS Commission says it is not a requirement that these supports are delivered by a nurse or other health practitioner. Workers must, however, have the right training for the person they support.
Who can train a support worker for high intensity tasks?
An appropriately qualified health practitioner, or a person who meets the Commission’s skills descriptor for that support. Training for severe dysphagia management must come from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
Can family members provide NDIS high intensity support?
The NDIS says a family member or friend may be able to provide some disability-related health supports. An appropriately qualified health professional must train them, for that task and for you, and they must be experienced and competent.
Does the NDIS pay for PEG feeding supplies?
The NDIS names food products for your PEG as a type of equipment it may fund under disability-related health supports.
How do I check a provider is registered for high intensity support?
Search the NDIS Commission provider register. It lists each registered provider’s approved registration groups, and a registered provider can only deliver the high intensity supports on its certificate.
What if the NDIS says no?
The NDIS will explain why, and you can ask for an internal review of the decision.
How 1 Care Connect can help
1 Care Connect is a registered NDIS provider with a nurse led team, and Community Nursing Care is one of our approved registration groups. If you need NDIS high intensity support at home, our registered nurses provide ventilator and tracheostomy care, complex bowel care, urinary catheter management and enteral feeding support, with clinical oversight built in.
Our head office is in Rosehill. If you are near Parramatta, see community nursing Parramatta. Otherwise, contact our team or call 1300 264 942 to talk through what you need.
Related reading
- Complex care at home: what the NDIS names on its funded list
- NDIS community nursing: how nursing fits into your plan
- Community nursing with 1 Care Connect
Sources: NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, Supplementary module: High intensity daily personal activities; NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, Provider Register; NDIS, What is a disability-related health support (all read 30 September 2026). This article is general information only and is not financial, legal or clinical advice. NDIS funding, eligibility and pricing are set by the NDIS and can change. Always check the current details on the NDIS website or with your planner or support coordinator. Last updated: 30 September 2026.
