High-intensity supports
A Guide to Catheter Care on the NDIS
A catheter is a soft, hollow tube which is inserted into the bladder to drain urine. A catheter may be inserted and held in place with a balloon or may be inserted to drain the bladder and then removed.
Excluding external catheter care, the NDIS considers all other catheter support to be a High Intensity Daily Personal Activity.
This article will explore what catheter care involves and how the NDIS defines and funds this support.
What is Catheter Care?
Various supports are available to help a person with disability manage their catheter care in the way they want and need. These are outlined in your Catheter Care Plan.
There are multiple types of catheters, including:
- long term catheters (indwelling catheters and suprapubic catheters)
- external catheters (Uridome)
- intermittent catheters.
Health professionals, such as urologists and catheter care nurses oversee the insertion of an indwelling catheter and related health follow-ups. Registered Nurses may also support someone to maintain their catheter through regular monthly check-ins.
Support workers can provide direct catheter care support and maintenance, which might include changing or emptying a leg bag, cleaning or inserting an intermittent catheter, or providing catheter site care. Support workers can also provide support for a person to attend appointments to maintain their catheter, or purchase consumables related to their catheter care.
Does the NDIS fund Catheter Care?
The NDIS may fund catheter care supports if someone’s disability means they can’t manage their catheter care on their own. The NDIS may fund the cost of essential continence consumables such as bags, catheters, pads, bottles, straps.
NDIS funding for Catheter Care comes under Continence Supports in the “Disability Related Health Supports” category of your funding.
You can learn more about Disability-Related Health Supports on the NDIS website.
What is a Catheter Care Plan?
A Catheter Care Plan outlines how someone should be safely supported to manage their catheter. This plan is tailored to the person’s needs, preferences and their environment. It includes information about:
- Catheter details: The type of catheter used
- Catheter routine: Equipment needed, frequency of emptying, any bag changes or positioning requirements
- Catheter regime: connecting or disconnecting, site care
- Troubleshooting and emergency care: information on how to manage catheter troubleshooting and when to call an ambulance or health professional
- Recording: Where and how any urine output should be recorded (for example, in an App like Maslow or Seer, using a hard copy notebook, etc.)
Who writes a Catheter Care Plan?
A urologist, catheter care nurse or general practitioner will develop the plan.
Writing a catheter care plan is a team effort, bringing together the person with disability, their family, support workers and other services (such as recreation, education or employment).
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