NDIS Complex Care Support for High Intensity Needs

At Maple, your complex care team is built around you, not a generic roster. It typically includes a dedicated support worker, a registered nurse providing clinical oversight, and allied health professionals as needed. You’ll see the same faces regularly — our 96% staff retention rate means real continuity, not strangers at your door every week.

The main types of complex care services available under the NDIS include:

• Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) provides specialised housing that is designed to accommodate severe functional impairments or very high support needs of participants. 
• Supported Independent Living (SIL) where participants receive round-the-clock support to manage their daily tasks. 
• High Intensity Daily Personal Activities (HIDPA) to help break down barriers by managing mobility issues, personal care, or health challenges.
• Behaviour support plans to understand and address individual needs, offering effective strategies for managing behaviours.
• Therapeutic support such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech pathology to enhance physical abilities, communication and overall health. 
• Assistive technology and equipment from communication devices to mobility aids, to help people with complex needs interact more effectively. 
• Home modifications under the NDIS include everything from ramps and handrails to widened doorways, ensuring that living spaces are safe, accessible, and welcoming.

Most of Maple’s complex care is delivered in the home. From wound care and PEG feeding to behavioural support and overnight assistance, our trained support workers and nurses come to you. You keep your independence, your routines, and your environment —with the clinical-grade support built around your life.

It’s the right question to ask. Qualified complex care providers must hold NDIS registration, employ HIDPA-trained staff, and have registered nurses overseeing clinical tasks. At Maple, every complex care team member holds relevant qualifications, operates under clinical supervision, and has experience with serious medical, psychosocial, and behavioural needs — not just standard disability support.

Standard disability support covers daily living tasks like personal care and community access. Complex care goes further — it covers high-intensity medical procedures, behaviour management, respiratory support, mental health needs, and coordinated clinical care. If a person’s needs go beyond what a standard support worker can safely manage, complex care (also called HIDPA) is the right fit.

Beyond qualifications, look for consistency, cultural fit, and genuine experience with your loved one’s specific condition. At Maple, we don’t just match on availability — we match on language, background, and the skills needed for your person’s exact care needs. And because our team stays, your loved one builds a real relationship with their support worker, not a new face every fortnight.

Complex care (also called High Intensity Daily Personal Activities, or HIDPA) is specialised support for people whose disability or health condition requires more than standard assistance. It covers clinical nursing tasks like catheter care, wound care, injections, and medication management. It also covers behaviour management, mental health, coordinated daily living, and respiratory support, which includes ventilator support and tracheostomy care. These are delivered by a team of trained support workers, registered nurses, and allied health professionals working together around the participant’s needs.

To access complex care funding through the NDIS, you need to be an existing participant under 65 with a permanent disability that significantly impacts daily functioning, and your support needs must go beyond what a standard support worker can safely provide. Strong medical evidence from your doctors, therapists, and specialists is essential — the more clearly it documents your functional needs, the stronger your case at your planning meeting.

Complex care supports people living with a wide range of high-intensity conditions, including acquired brain injury (ABI), cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, spinal cord injury, severe psychosocial disability, autism with complex behavioural needs, degenerative conditions, and chronic medical needs requiring clinical oversight. If your needs span more than one area — such as physical disability combined with mental health or behavioural challenges — you are likely to meet the threshold for complex care.

Complex care can be funded across three NDIS budget categories. Core Supports covers daily personal care, high-intensity tasks, and overnight support. Capacity Building covers therapy, behaviour support plans, and support coordination. Capital Supports covers assistive technology and home modifications. Your plan will be tailored to your specific needs — there is no standard package. The type and level of funding depends on the evidence provided and the goals outlined in your plan.

Standard disability support covers everyday tasks like personal care, household assistance, and community access. Complex care goes further — it involves clinical procedures such as PEG feeding, wound care, catheter management, and tracheostomy care, as well as behavioural intervention and coordinated support from multiple professionals. Complex needs typically involve multiple combined challenges — for example, disability alongside mental health, behavioural needs, and housing instability — where standard supports alone are not sufficient.