What Is Complex Bowel Care Under the NDIS?

Complex bowel care is a designated High Intensity Daily Personal Activity (HIDPA) under NDIS Practice Standards Module 1. It applies when a participant cannot independently or safely manage their own bowel routine and requires support with interventions beyond standard personal care.

From February 2025, the revised NDIS Skills Descriptors integrated stoma care directly into the complex bowel care descriptor, meaning a single care plan now covers bowel management and stoma care where both apply to a participant.

What TrustCare Delivers

• Participant-specific bowel management plans — developed by our AHPRA-registered RN, NDIS Practice Standards-compliant
• Manual bowel care — digital stimulation, manual evacuation where clinically indicated and per care plan
• Administration of bowel medications — laxatives, suppositories, enemas per care plan
• Stoma care — colostomy, ileostomy, and urostomy management integrated into the bowel care framework
• Autonomic dysreflexia risk management — particularly for participants with spinal cord injury, where bowel care is a common trigger
• Chronic constipation and impaction management
• Support worker training and competency assessment — documented per worker per participant, with annual renewal

Autonomic Dysreflexia — A Critical Safety Consideration

For participants with spinal cord injury at T6 and above, complex bowel care can trigger autonomic dysreflexia (AD) — a potentially life-threatening emergency characterised by sudden, severe hypertension, pounding headache, sweating above the level of injury, and bradycardia. All workers delivering bowel care to SCI participants must be trained in AD recognition and emergency response. TrustCare's bowel care plans for SCI participants include an explicit AD protocol.

Who Can Refer

Registered NDIS providers, support coordinators, and plan managers. TrustCare does not accept direct referrals from participants — all referrals are through a registered provider or coordinator.

NDIS Funding

• Community Nursing Care — Registered Nurse (Group 0114): $123.65/hr weekday daytime (2025-26)
• High Intensity Daily Personal Activities (Group 0107): $76.09/hr weekday daytime — support worker delivering under RN delegation