Community Nursing and Support Workers: Understanding Their Different Roles
On the same morning, you might need help getting dressed and a review of a wound. Both matter to your day. They may call for different skills.
Knowing who helps with what can make arranging support feel less confusing. It also helps you ask better questions about the people coming into your home.
Community nursing focuses on clinical nursing care. Support workers help with daily activities and carry out agreed support plans. Some health-related tasks can overlap, depending on assessment, training and supervision.
What does a community nurse do?
Community nurses provide nursing care outside a hospital, including in your home.
Depending on your needs and the nurse’s skills, this may include:
Nursing assessments and care planning.
Wound care and skin checks.
Catheter care and medication-related nursing support.
Training and supervising workers who carry out agreed nursing tasks.
A registered nurse can assess your needs and decide which nursing tasks can safely be passed to a trained worker under supervision. This is called delegation. The nurse also plans and reviews your nursing care.
What does a support worker do?
Support workers help you manage everyday activities, participate in your community and build independence.
Depending on your agreed supports, they may help with:
Showering, dressing, grooming and toileting.
Preparing meals and completing household tasks.
Shopping, attending appointments and enjoying social activities.
Following established routines and practising daily living skills.
For example, you might want help preparing ingredients while you cook, or assistance getting ready for a community activity.
Support workers can also notice changes, record observations and tell the appropriate person when something needs attention. This is especially important when they are helping implement a health support plan.
Who helps with what? A quick guide
What you need | Who may help |
Help showering or getting dressed | A support worker with the appropriate skills and training. |
Help preparing meals or going shopping | A support worker, following your preferences and any relevant plans. |
A nursing assessment or review of a nursing care plan | A registered nurse. |
A specific ongoing health-related task | A nurse or appropriately trained worker, as determined by assessment and the care arrangements. |
Use this as a starting point with your provider. Your health needs, the task and the worker’s competence all matter.
Can support workers provide health-related support?
Yes, for some tasks, with the right arrangements.
NDIS guidance recognises that support workers may provide certain disability-related health supports after suitable training. That training must relate to the particular task and the particular participant, with competence established before support begins.
Some tasks, such as tube feeding or certain catheter-related supports, require more specialised skills and an individual plan. Where nursing care is delegated, the registered nurse decides whether delegation is appropriate and remains responsible for supervision and oversight.
Ask about training and competency checks for your particular needs.
How the two roles work together
Consider someone who needs wound care alongside help with their morning routine.
A nurse might assess the wound, plan the nursing care and decide who can safely carry out each task. A support worker might help with dressing and breakfast, follow the agreed instructions and report changes identified in the plan.
This is an illustrative example. The actual arrangement depends on assessment.
A useful care plan makes responsibilities clear: who does each task, what they should record, who they contact with concerns and when the plan needs review.
Five questions to ask your provider
Which parts of my support need a nurse?
Who will assess my needs and prepare or review my care plan?
What training and competency checks have workers completed for my specific needs?
Who provides clinical supervision and advice when needed?
What happens if my needs change or my usual worker is unavailable?
Can NDIS funding cover both?
Your plan may include daily living support and disability-related health supports where the funding criteria are met.
The health system remains responsible for services such as diagnosis, medical treatment and hospital care. Confirm which service should provide each support and how it will be paid for before arranging it.
Find support that fits your day
Looking for community nursing or daily living support in Ballarat or other areas in Victoria?
Talk to Care Cube about your routines, health-related support needs and personal goals. Ask about available services and how responsibilities will be agreed before support begins.
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