High-Intensity Support for Complex Care Needs

What Is High-Intensity Support?

High-intensity support is help with daily personal activities that require a higher level of skill or training to deliver safely — such as complex bowel care, tube feeding, catheter management or seizure support. Under the NDIS, these supports have specific quality requirements, and workers must be trained for each task.

It's different from simply needing a lot of hours. High-intensity describes what the task involves, not how long support lasts.

Under the NDIS

Who May Need High-Intensity Support?

People with spinal cord injury, acquired brain injury, neuromuscular or progressive neurological conditions, cerebral palsy, or multiple disabilities may have high-intensity or high physical support needs. Needs can also increase after surgery or a hospital stay.

High physical support needs

Significant hands-on help with transfers, repositioning, hoist use, mobility and personal care — often with two workers for some tasks. Workers need the right manual-handling training and experience with the person's equipment.

Personal care and daily routines

Showering, toileting, dressing, grooming and mealtimes, done at the person's pace and in the way they prefer. Getting routines right is what makes the day work.

High-Intensity Support at Home

Receiving high-intensity support at home means the person keeps their routines, space and relationships. Workers follow the care plan and learn the details — how equipment is set up, preferred positions, early warning signs.

Complex support needs

Where several needs interact, see our complex care page for how support can be coordinated across a team.

24-hour and overnight support

When support is needed around the clock or overnight, it's delivered by a coordinated roster. See 24-hour care and overnight care.

Finding Workers

Are You a Support Coordinator, Case Manager or Health Professional?

Support Coordinators, case managers, discharge planners and allied health professionals can refer participants with high-intensity or high physical support needs.

What to include in your referral

1. Participant location (suburb and postcode)
2. The specific high-intensity tasks involved
3. Equipment used (e.g. hoist, PEG, ventilator)
4. Funding type and plan management
5. Hours, days and preferred start date
6. Relevant care, mealtime or risk plans and consent to refer

Only share what you have consent to share. We will confirm anything else we need when we call.

High-Intensity Support: Frequently Asked Questions

High-intensity supports are daily personal activities that need a higher level of skill or training to deliver safely — for example complex bowel care, enteral (tube) feeding, severe dysphagia management, tracheostomy care, ventilation, urinary catheter management, subcutaneous injections and complex wound care. The NDIS Practice Standards set specific requirements for these.

High physical support describes needs where a person requires significant hands-on help for most daily activities — such as transfers, repositioning, personal care and mobility — often with equipment like hoists.

People use 'high care' and 'high level care' loosely to mean a lot of support. In the NDIS, 'high-intensity' refers to particular tasks that need extra skills. Someone can have high physical support needs without high-intensity tasks, and vice versa.

No. Workers need relevant training and experience for each specific task, and some tasks require a care plan developed by a health professional. We match workers carefully and tell you if a requirement is outside what we can arrange.

It may, where the support is reasonable and necessary and included in the participant's plan. We don't assess or approve funding — speak with your planner, LAC or Support Coordinator.

Yes. Many people receive high-intensity support in their own home, with workers following the person's care plan and routines.

Where suitable workers are available, support can be arranged across the day and night through a coordinated roster. See our 24-hour care and overnight care pages.

Use the enquiry form or call us. Include the participant's location, the specific high-intensity tasks, funding type, hours needed and any relevant care plans.

It depends on location, the training required and the hours needed. We'll give you an honest view once we understand the requirements.

Related Support

Talk to Us About High-Intensity Support

Whether you're a participant, family member or professional, we'll help you work out the next step.

Tell us about the support needed

Share a few details and a member of our team will call you back to talk it through. .eq-autocomplete { position: relative; } .eq-suggest { position: absolute; z-index: 50; top: calc(100% + 2px); left: 0; right: 0; max-height: 260px; overflow-y: auto; background: #fff; border: 1px solid #d7dee6; border-radius: 10px; box-shadow: 0 8px 24px rgba(16, 42, 67, .12); } .eq-suggest[hidden] { display: none; } .eq-suggest__item { padding: 10px 14px; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.3; color: #21323f; cursor: pointer; border-bottom: 1px solid #eef2f6; } .eq-suggest__item:last-child { border-bottom: 0; } .eq-suggest__item:hover, .eq-suggest__item.is-active { background: #eef7f8; } .eq-suggest__empty { padding: 10px 14px; font-size: 14px; color: #6b7c8a; } How can we help you? NDIS Support Aged Care Support Partnership / Provider Enquiry Overnight Home Care NDIS High Intensity Support Complex Care Services 24 Hour Home Care Self-Managed Home Care Your Name * Phone * Email * Postcode What are you looking for? How soon do you need help? Please select Urgently / within 48 hours This week Within 2–4 weeks Planning ahead Just making an enquiry Partnership details Organisation Name Your Role Anything else you'd like us to know? (optional) Submit No obligation. We'll review your enquiry and let you know how we can help. document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function () { if (window.lucide) { lucide.createIcons(); } var form = document.getElementById('standardEnquiryForm'); if (!form) return; var typeSelect = document.getElementById('eq-type'); var partnershipBox = document.getElementById('eqPartnershipBox'); var orgInput = document.getElementById('eq-org'); var roleInput = document.getElementById('eq-role'); var btn = document.getElementById('enquirySubmitBtn'); var alertBox = document.getElementById('enquiryAlertBox'); function syncPartnershipFields() { var isPartnership = typeSelect.value === 'partnership'; partnershipBox.hidden = !isPartnership; orgInput.required = isPartnership; roleInput.required = isPartnership; } typeSelect.addEventListener('change', syncPartnershipFields); syncPartnershipFields(); // keep fields in sync for a pre-selected value on load // Capture the page URL the form is displayed on; saved with the enquiry var pageUrlInput = document.getElementById('eq-page-url'); if (pageUrlInput) { pageUrlInput.value = window.location.href; } // --------------------------------------------------------------- // Suburb / Postcode autocomplete (same source as the home page search) // --------------------------------------------------------------- var locationInput = document.getElementById('eq-location'); var suggestBox = document.getElementById('eqLocationSuggest'); var tokenInput = form.querySelector('input[name="_token"]'); var suggestTimer = null; var activeIndex = -1; var lastQuery = ''; function closeSuggest() { if (!suggestBox) return; suggestBox.hidden = true; suggestBox.innerHTML = ''; activeIndex = -1; locationInput.setAttribute('aria-expanded', 'false'); } function setActive(index) { var items = suggestBox.querySelectorAll('.eq-suggest__item'); if (!items.length) return; if (index < 0) index = items.length - 1; if (index >= items.length) index = 0; activeIndex = index; for (var i = 0; i < items.length; i++) { items[i].classList.toggle('is-active', i === activeIndex); } items[activeIndex].scrollIntoView({ block: 'nearest' }); } function chooseItem(item) { if (!item) return; locationInput.value = item.getAttribute('data-label'); closeSuggest(); } function renderSuggestions(rows) { if (!rows.length) { suggestBox.innerHTML = '<div class="eq-suggest__empty">No matching suburb or postcode</div>'; suggestBox.hidden = false; locationInput.setAttribute('aria-expanded', 'true'); activeIndex = -1; return; } var html = ''; rows.slice(0, 10).forEach(function (row) { var label = [row.suburb, row.state, row.postcode].filter(Boolean).join(', '); html += '<div class="eq-suggest__item" role="option" data-label="' + label.replace(/"/g, '&quot;') + '">' + label + '</div>'; }); suggestBox.innerHTML = html; suggestBox.hidden = false; locationInput.setAttribute('aria-expanded', 'true'); activeIndex = -1; } function fetchSuggestions(term) { fetch('https://supportnetwork.com.au/suggpostcodes', { method: 'POST', headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json', 'X-CSRF-TOKEN': tokenInput ? tokenInput.value : '', 'X-Requested-With': 'XMLHttpRequest', 'Accept': 'application/json' }, body: JSON.stringify({ postcode: term }) }) .then(function (response) { return response.json(); }) .then(function (data) { // ignore a stale response if the user has typed on if (term !== lastQuery) return; renderSuggestions((data && data.data) ? data.data : []); }) .catch(function () { closeSuggest(); }); } if (locationInput && suggestBox) { locationInput.addEventListener('input', function () { var term = locationInput.value.trim(); lastQuery = term; clearTimeout(suggestTimer); if (term.length < 2) { closeSuggest(); return; } suggestTimer = setTimeout(function () { fetchSuggestions(term); }, 250); }); locationInput.addEventListener('keydown', function (e) { if (suggestBox.hidden) return; if (e.key === 'ArrowDown') { e.preventDefault(); setActive(activeIndex + 1); } else if (e.key === 'ArrowUp') { e.preventDefault(); setActive(activeIndex - 1); } else if (e.key === 'Enter') { var items = suggestBox.querySelectorAll('.eq-suggest__item'); if (activeIndex > -1 && items[activeIndex]) { e.preventDefault(); // suggestion pick, form submit nahi chooseItem(items[activeIndex]); } } else if (e.key === 'Escape') { closeSuggest(); } }); // mousedown taki blur se pehle select ho jaye suggestBox.addEventListener('mousedown', function (e) { var item = e.target.closest('.eq-suggest__item'); if (!item) return; e.preventDefault(); chooseItem(item); }); document.addEventListener('click', function (e) { if (!locationInput.closest('.eq-autocomplete').contains(e.target)) { closeSuggest(); } }); } form.addEventListener('submit', function (e) { e.preventDefault(); if (!form.checkValidity()) { form.reportValidity(); return; } var originalBtnHtml = btn ? btn.innerHTML : ''; if (btn) { btn.disabled = true; btn.innerHTML = 'Submitting...'; } if (alertBox) { alertBox.className = 'alert d-none my-3'; alertBox.innerHTML = ''; } fetch(form.getAttribute('action'), { method: 'POST', body: new FormData(form), headers: { 'X-Requested-With': 'XMLHttpRequest', 'Accept': 'application/json' } }) .then(function (response) { return response.json().then(function (data) { return { status: response.status, body: data }; }); }) .then(function (res) { if (btn) { btn.disabled = false; btn.innerHTML = originalBtnHtml; } if (res.status === 200 && res.body.status) { form.reset(); syncPartnershipFields(); if (alertBox) { alertBox.className = 'alert alert-success my-3'; alertBox.innerHTML = res.body.message || 'Thank you! Your enquiry has been submitted.'; alertBox.scrollIntoView({ behavior: 'smooth', block: 'center' }); } // Redirect to the thank-you page on success if (btn) { btn.disabled = true; btn.innerHTML = 'Redirecting...'; } window.location.href = res.body.redirect || 'https://supportnetwork.com.au/care-form-thank-you'; return; } else { var errorMsg = res.body.message || 'Please fill in all required fields accurately.'; if (res.body.errors) { var firstKey = Object.keys(res.body.errors)[0]; errorMsg = res.body.errors[firstKey][0]; } if (alertBox) { alertBox.className = 'alert alert-danger my-3'; alertBox.innerHTML = errorMsg; alertBox.scrollIntoView({ behavior: 'smooth', block: 'center' }); } } }) .catch(function () { if (btn) { btn.disabled = false; btn.innerHTML = originalBtnHtml; } if (alertBox) { alertBox.className = 'alert alert-danger my-3'; alertBox.innerHTML = 'An error occurred while submitting. Please try again.'; alertBox.scrollIntoView({ behavior: 'smooth', block: 'center' }); } }); }); });