High-intensity supports explained
What the high-intensity skills descriptors cover, and what nurse delegation should look like.
5 min read·
What counts as high intensity
Some daily supports carry clinical risk, so the NDIS Commission sets additional expectations for the workers delivering them, described in the High Intensity Skills Descriptors. Providers delivering these supports are registered under High Intensity Daily Personal Activities (commonly called Module 1).
- Complex bowel care
- Enteral (PEG) feeding and management
- Tracheostomy care
- Ventilator support
- Urinary catheter management
- Subcutaneous injections
- Complex wound care
- Severe dysphagia management
- Epilepsy and seizure management
What good practice looks like
The point of the descriptors is that the person doing the task has been trained and assessed on your specific needs — not on a generic module. Ask to see how that is documented.
- A written, participant-specific care plan developed with a registered nurse or relevant health practitioner
- Named workers signed off as competent for your particular protocol
- Clear escalation instructions: what to do, who to call, when to call an ambulance
- Review after any incident, and at least when your health status changes
NDIS Practice Standards — High Intensity Skills Descriptors; NDIS Commission provider registration groups.
General information only. Rules and dates change — check ndis.gov.au or call the NDIA on 1800 800 110 before acting on anything here.
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