Respiratory Care for NDIS Participants

Maple delivers both everyday and high-intensity respiratory support. That covers CPAP and BiPAP support, oxygen therapy, airway clearance and respiratory monitoring, through to the two high-intensity supports the NDIS classifies as highest risk: ventilator support and tracheostomy support, including oral and tracheal suctioning.

It depends on the support. Clinical assessment, care planning and higher risk procedures are delivered or overseen by our registered nurses. Daily ventilator and tracheostomy support can be delivered by a support worker whose competency has been assessed against the NDIS Commission skills descriptors and who works to a nurse-reviewed plan. We will always tell you which applies before we start.

We acknowledge every referral within two hours and average five business days from referral to service commencement. For hospital discharges, we work to your discharge date wherever we can, and our 24/7 line means you are never waiting until Monday for an answer.

Usually, yes. Around 80% of our workforce is from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and our team speaks more than 50 languages between them. With breathing support, being able to say something feels wrong in your own language is a safety issue, not a preference.

Because we answer quickly, we look for a safe way to say yes where others decline, and we do the heavy lifting on funding checks, risk assessment and documentation. Our 96% staff retention also means the same small team stays with a participant, which matters more with an airway than anywhere else.

NDIS respiratory care is support with breathing delivered under an NDIS plan, at home or in supported accommodation. It ranges from CPAP and BiPAP support and oxygen therapy through to tracheostomy care and full ventilator support, always delivered to a health care plan written and overseen by a health practitioner.

Ventilator management and tracheostomy support are both named in the NDIS Practice Standards Module 1, High Intensity Daily Personal Activities. Workers must be trained and assessed against the NDIS Commission high intensity support skills descriptors before delivering either. Basic stoma care for a participant with a tracheostomy who does not use a ventilator is not high intensity, but still requires specific training.

Invasive ventilation delivers breath through a tracheostomy tube. Non-invasive ventilation uses a mask, most commonly CPAP or BiPAP, with no surgical airway. Both can attract high-intensity support where there is a risk of airway obstruction, aspiration or health deterioration.

Yes, where the support relates to a participant’s disability and everyday support needs rather than acute medical treatment. Acute respiratory treatment stays with the health system. Ongoing ventilation, tracheostomy and airway support at home can be delivered under an NDIS plan.

Two different budgets, depending on who delivers the support. Day-to-day ventilator and tracheostomy support delivered by trained support workers is generally funded from Core Supports at high intensity rates. Nursing assessment, care planning and clinical oversight sit under Capacity Building, Improved Daily Living, in registration group 0114 Community Nursing Care. Most participants with respiratory needs hold both.

You will generally need a health care plan or letter from your respiratory specialist or GP setting out the device, the hours of use and the tasks required, plus an explanation of how the support relates to your disability and your daily life rather than to acute treatment. A hospital discharge summary, an allied health report and a nursing assessment all strengthen the request.

Yes, where the ongoing support relates to your disability. Discharge planners and hospital social workers can refer directly to an NDIS provider, and supports can often be arranged to start on the discharge date, provided training, equipment and a written escalation plan are in place first.