Understanding and Funding Bowel Care Under the NDIS: Sydney Family Guide
Understanding and Funding Bowel Care Under the NDIS: Sydney Family Guide
- December 15, 2025
Let’s be honest—bowel care isn’t a topic most of us feel comfortable talking about. But when you or someone you love needs support with it, it suddenly becomes incredibly important. And if you’re trying to figure out how bowel care fits into the NDIS, it can sometimes feel confusing, overwhelming, and even isolating.
If you’re in Sydney and navigating this for the first time, please know you’re not alone. Many people across the city rely on disability support services every day for bowel care, and there are supports available to make this process easier, safer, and more dignified.
What is Bowel Care?
Bowel care is an essential aspect of personal health and hygiene, particularly for individuals living with disabilities. It includes a range of activities to maintain healthy bowel function, manage bowel movements, and prevent complications such as constipation or incontinence.
For some people with disabilities, bowel care can be complex—especially if they have mobility challenges, limited control over their bowels, or other health conditions that affect their ability to manage this area of personal care.
Bowel care may include:
- Assistance with toileting: Help with getting to and from the bathroom, using the toilet, and maintaining hygiene.
- Bowel management programs: Tailored plans developed with healthcare professionals to address specific bowel issues, such as constipation, incontinence, or diarrhoea.
- Use of specialised equipment: Devices like commodes, grab rails, or mobility aids to make toileting easier and safer.
- Education and training: Providing individuals and their support networks with the knowledge and skills to manage bowel care more independently.·
Bowel Care Under the NDIS
The NDIS offers funding for bowel care as part of an individual’s overall plan. The level of funding provided will depend on the individual’s specific needs and how bowel care impacts their daily life. The goal is to ensure that participants can access the supports necessary to live as independently and safely as possible.
Types of Support Available:
- Personal Care Supports: This includes assistance from support workers to help with the physical aspects of bowel care, such as toileting, hygiene maintenance, and managing continence needs.
- Capacity Building Supports: These supports aim to help individuals gain the skills and confidence to manage bowel care independently, where possible. This might include training in specific techniques or using assistive technology.
- Therapeutic Supports: Funding can be provided for healthcare professionals like continence nurses, dietitians, or physiotherapists who can develop and oversee a tailored bowel management program, addressing underlying health issues that may affect bowel function.
- Assistive Technology: In some cases, the NDIS can fund equipment that supports bowel care, such as continence aids, commodes, or mobility devices to make accessing the bathroom easier and safer.
How Does the NDIS Fund Bowel Care?
Most bowel care support is funded under Core Supports – Assistance with Daily Life. This typically covers the time support workers spend helping with your bowel routine. If the routine is more complex or requires specialised training, the NDIS may classify it as complex care and fund it under NDIS Complex Care Services. In these cases, the support workers will have the skills necessary to assist with high-intensity tasks.
You may also receive funding for continence assessments, specialist recommendations, assistive equipment like commodes or bidets, or training for support workers in complex bowel care techniques.
What Makes Bowel Care “Complex”?
Bowel care is considered complex when it goes beyond basic assistance. Tasks such as digital stimulation, the use of suppositories, or monitoring and managing bowel obstructions require specific training. These high-intensity tasks are more challenging and need to be handled by support workers who are skilled and qualified to provide safe and effective care.
Here in Sydney, many NDIS providers offer specialised training to ensure the care is both safe and person-centred. The goal isn’t just to perform a task—it’s to provide care in a way that ensures comfort, dignity, and respect.
What Does Bowel Care Normally Look Like Day to Day?
Each person’s bowel care routine will be unique, but a typical plan may include:
- A personalised bowel management plan: Created by a doctor or continence nurse to ensure your specific needs are addressed.
- Monitoring comfort or changes: Keeping track of how your bowel habits are progressing, identifying any concerns, and making adjustments as needed.
- Using specific techniques or equipment: This might include the use of mobility aids, continence products, or techniques to ensure your routine is as comfortable as possible.
- Maintaining privacy and dignity: A good NDIS provider will ensure that all tasks are completed in a way that respects your privacy and ensures you feel as comfortable and empowered as possible.
What Documentation Does the NDIS Need?
To access funding for bowel care, NDIS participants typically need to provide:·
A continence assessment: This evaluates your individual needs and bowel function.·
A bowel management plan: A personalised plan developed by healthcare professionals to address any bowel-related concerns.
Reports or letters from your GP or healthcare providers: These documents can explain the medical need for bowel care.
A description of how bowel care impacts your daily life: This helps the NDIS understand the importance of funding the required support and how it can improve your health and independence.
How to Access Funding for Bowel Care
To receive funding, participants need to work with their NDIS planner or Local Area Coordinator (LAC) to develop a comprehensive NDIS plan. It’s essential to clearly identify how bowel care impacts your daily life and why it’s necessary for your health and independence.
Funding for bowel care can fall under Core Supports or Capacity Building Supports, depending on the level of support required. Having detailed documentation from healthcare providers and a clear understanding of your needs can help ensure that the right level of funding is allocated.
Tips for Managing Bowel Care Under the NDIS
- Document Your Needs: Keep a record of any bowel care-related challenges, such as the level of assistance needed and how it affects your daily life.
- Work with Health Professionals: Consult your doctor, continence nurse, or other specialists to create a clear bowel care plan, which can be used during your NDIS planning meetings.
- Review Your Plan Regularly: As your needs may change over time, it’s important to review your NDIS plan periodically to ensure the supports provided are still appropriate.
- Advocate for Yourself: Don’t hesitate to advocate for the support you need, whether it’s more assistance with personal care or additional funding for specialist services.
A Supportive Option in Sydney for Complex Care
If you’re looking for a reliable, experienced team to assist with bowel care or any form of complex support, Concept Care Disability Solutions (Concept Care) is a trusted option in Sydney. Known for their person-centred approach, they offer a trained NDIS Complex Care Team that helps make complex care simpler and less overwhelming for families.
For more information or a friendly chat, you can reach Concept Care at:
1800 266 237
[email protected]
Final Thoughts
Managing bowel care under the NDIS can feel like a challenging process, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right support, you can feel more confident, comfortable, and empowered. Many Sydney families successfully manage bowel care every day through the NDIS, and you can too.