High Intensity Daily Personal Activities
To be registered for the class of support (registration group) 104 - high intensity daily personal activities, an applicant must be assessed against relevant NDIS Practice Standards contained in Module 1 of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (Provider Registration and Practice Standards) Rules 2018 (Provider Registration Rules). The National Disability Insurance Scheme (Quality Indicators) Guidelines 2018 (Quality Indicators) list the associated quality indicators NDIS providers can use to demonstrate conformity with the standards.
The high intensity personal daily activity supports are:
- Complex bowel care
- Enteral feeding and management
- Severe dysphagia management
- Tracheostomy management
- Urinary catheter management
- Ventilator management
- Subcutaneous injections
- Complex wound management.
Restrictions on providing high intensity personal daily activity supports
Registered NDIS providers must not provide high intensity daily activity supports that are not set out in their certificate of registration, in accordance with section 13C of the Provider Registration Rules.
High intensity support skills descriptors
What are the high intensity support skills descriptors?
The high intensity support skills descriptors (skills descriptors) describe the skills and knowledge that NDIS providers should ensure their workers have when supporting participants who rely on high intensity daily personal activities. These supports present some of the highest risks for participants. Many of these supports are intensely personal in nature and require workers to communicate and work closely with the participant to understand when and how to deliver supports safely in ways that meet the participants’ preferences and daily routines.
For most of the high intensity daily personal activity supports, worker training should be delivered by an appropriately qualified health practitioner or a person who meets the expectations of this skills descriptor. For severe dysphagia management, training should only be delivered by an appropriately qualified health practitioner. This is a requirement set out in the Quality Indicators for each of the supports. The skills descriptors provide further explanation of the skills and knowledge expected when supports are delivered by a competent worker who is not a qualified health or allied health practitioner. It is not a requirement that high intensity daily personal activity supports are delivered by a nurse or other health or allied health practitioner.
NDIS providers should ensure workers meet the expectations of the relevant skills descriptors. The relationship to the relevant NDIS Practice Standard and Quality Indicators is provided in each skills descriptor.
Other providers and workers may also use this guidance to ensure best practice when supporting people who require these supports.
Revised High Intensity Support Skills Descriptors (HISSD)
The high intensity support skills descriptors, which were first published in 2018, have been updated following consultation with representatives for allied health peak bodies related to the descriptors, as well as providers delivering high intensity supports, approved quality auditors and participants. The reviewed skills descriptors came into effect from 1 February 2023.
The review of the HISSD was undertaken as a project element within the NDIS Workforce Capability Framework (the Framework) project. The review has:
- Updated the content of the descriptors in line with contemporary practice and expert advice
- Updated the format and language of the descriptors to align with the contemporary language and participant focus adopted in the Framework.
The skills descriptors provide guidance for participants, their family and support networks, NDIS providers, workers and auditors by describing the skills and knowledge that NDIS providers should ensure their workers have when supporting participants receiving supports for high intensity daily personal activities.
Find out more information in the Frequently Asked Questions document.