Published by SESI Care Services · Updated August 2026 · 2-minute summary
Quick answer: There are five ways a nurse can end up at your door in Victoria: NDIS funding (Core budget), the Support at Home clinical care category (no participant contribution), the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP, continuing to at least 30 June 2029), privately paid nursing (no assessment, no waiting list), or the health system itself through post-acute hospital care or a GP-managed Medicare plan. The same nurse can do the same task under any of these — what changes is who pays, how fast you can start, and who decides how often they visit.
Key takeaways
- Five funding paths exist for nursing at home in Victoria: NDIS, Support at Home, CHSP, private pay, and the health system.
- NDIS participants claim nursing from their Core budget when the need relates to their disability — see our community nursing guide for the full detail.
- Support at Home treats nursing as clinical care, which has no participant contribution — but you need an aged care assessment first.
- CHSP covers entry-level nursing for older people and keeps running to at least 30 June 2029, alongside Support at Home.
- Private nursing has no waiting list and no assessment — you set the frequency, at your own cost.
- After hospital, a public health service may deliver nursing through Hospital in the Home; ongoing chronic disease support can also be arranged through your GP.
- Combining private and funded care while you wait for an assessment is common and not a problem — the funded service simply starts alongside or after it.
What are my actual options for paying for a nurse at home?
Most Victorians fall into more than one of these categories at once, so it helps to see them side by side before you commit to a path.
| Funding path | Who it’s generally for | What you pay | How fast you can start | Who sets visit frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NDIS (Core budget) | NDIS participants where the nursing need relates to their disability | Nothing out of pocket if it’s in your plan | After your plan is approved and a provider agrees a service agreement | You and your provider, within your funded hours |
| Support at Home (clinical care) | People 65+ (or 50+ for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) with an aged care assessment | No participant contribution — clinical care is fully funded | After an aged care assessment and funding allocation | You and your provider, within your quarterly budget |
| CHSP | Older people needing entry-level, often short-term support | An income-tested contribution set by the provider | After an aged care assessment; often quicker to start than Support at Home | Assessed need and provider availability |
| Privately paid | Anyone, at any time, whatever their NDIS or aged care status | The full cost, agreed with the provider | Immediately — no assessment, no waiting list | You decide |
| Health system (post-acute care, GP-managed Medicare plan) | People discharged from hospital, or with a GP-diagnosed chronic condition | No charge for hospital-substitution care; Medicare-subsidised allied health visits via a GP plan | Arranged by the hospital before discharge, or by your GP | The treating hospital team or your GP |
Does the NDIS fund nursing at home?
Yes, when the nursing need is a result of your disability and meets the NDIS “reasonable and necessary” criteria — related to your disability, effective for you, and value for money, as the NDIA’s own guidance on reasonable and necessary supports sets out. Most ongoing nursing is claimed from your Core – Assistance with Daily Life budget, priced against the NDIS pricing arrangements by the nurse’s level and time of day. We cover this in full, including what’s funded and how to arrange a first visit, in what community nursing at home covers under the NDIS and Support at Home. SESI’s community nursing service delivers this across Victoria for NDIS participants.
If you’re not sure which budget line covers a nursing need, or your plan doesn’t seem to have enough left, a support coordinator can check with the NDIA before the service starts — see our comparison of support coordination and plan management if you’re not sure which one you have.
How does Support at Home pay for nursing?
Support at Home began on 1 November 2025, replacing Home Care Packages, and groups services into clinical care, independence and everyday living. According to the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s overview of the Support at Home program, the program funds services through eight ongoing classifications plus short-term pathways, with participant contributions set by government — and nursing sits in the clinical care category, which carries no participant contribution at all. You reach it through an aged care assessment; call 1800 200 422 or visit myagedcare.gov.au to start one. SESI delivers nursing and other Support at Home services across Victoria once your assessment and budget are in place.
What about the Commonwealth Home Support Programme?
CHSP is the older, entry-level program that Support at Home is gradually taking over from — but it hasn’t gone anywhere yet. My Aged Care’s CHSP overview lists nursing care alongside personal care and meals as a service you can be assessed for, with a contribution based on what you can afford. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing confirmed in August 2026 that CHSP has been extended to 30 June 2029, so it will keep running well past the original transition date. If your needs are assessed as more complex, you may be moved to Support at Home instead — the assessment decides which program fits.
What if I just pay privately?
Privately funded nursing at home is available to anyone, whether or not you’re an NDIS participant or have an aged care assessment. There’s no waiting list and no eligibility test — you contact a provider, agree what you need and how often, and the service starts. This makes private nursing the fastest way to get a nurse in the door, and it’s a genuine option if you’re not eligible for NDIS or aged care funding, or you want more frequent visits than your funded plan covers. We can’t quote hourly rates here — every provider sets its own, and you should ask directly and get it in writing before the first visit.
What does the health system cover instead?
Not every nursing need should go through the NDIS or aged care at all — some belong to the health system.
- Post-acute and hospital-substitution care. If you’re in hospital, ask about Hospital in the Home. Victorian public health services describe Hospital in the Home as acute care delivered in your own home by nurses, doctors or allied health staff, at no extra charge, for patients well enough to be treated safely at home. There are 49 Hospital in the Home sites across Victoria.
- Chronic disease support via your GP. If you have an ongoing condition, your GP can set up a GP Chronic Condition Management Plan, which the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing describes in its explanation of changes to Medicare chronic disease management arrangements as the current framework (replacing the old GP Management Plan and Team Care Arrangements from 1 July 2025) for accessing Medicare-subsidised allied health and nursing-adjacent support alongside your GP’s own care.
Neither of these is a substitute for ongoing NDIS or aged-care-funded nursing — they’re for acute, hospital-linked or GP-managed care, and your GP or hospital discharge planner is the right person to arrange them.
Can the same nurse work under different funding — and what if I need more than I’m funded for?
Yes. The clinical task doesn’t change with the funding source — a wound dressing or a medication check is the same skill whether it’s billed to your NDIS plan, your Support at Home budget, CHSP, or paid privately. What changes is the paperwork behind it and who decides how often the nurse comes.
If your funded visits run out before your plan or quarterly budget renews, you have two practical choices: ask your provider or support coordinator whether a plan variation or budget reallocation is possible, or top up privately for the extra visits in the meantime. Many families do exactly this while waiting for an NDIS access decision, an aged care assessment outcome, or a plan reassessment — starting privately, then folding the private arrangement into the funded one once approval comes through, or simply running both side by side if the need is genuinely higher than the funded amount allows. There’s nothing irregular about paying privately for extra visits alongside a funded service; just keep the two arrangements and their invoices separate.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use private nursing while I wait for my NDIS plan or aged care assessment?
Yes. Private nursing has no eligibility test, so it’s a common way to get care started immediately while an NDIS access request or an aged care assessment is being processed. Once funding comes through, you can move to the funded service or continue privately for anything above your funded amount.
Is Support at Home nursing really free?
Clinical care — including nursing and allied health — carries no participant contribution under Support at Home. Contributions apply to independence and everyday living services, such as personal care, social support, cleaning and meals, based on your means.
What’s the difference between CHSP and Support at Home?
CHSP is entry-level, often short-term support for older people with lower needs; Support at Home is for more complex, ongoing ageing-related care needs assessed through the same My Aged Care process. Both can fund nursing, and CHSP continues to at least 30 June 2029 while the transition continues.
Does the NDIS or Medicare pay for nursing after I leave hospital?
Neither, usually — post-acute nursing straight after a hospital stay is typically arranged by the hospital itself, through Hospital in the Home or a similar hospital-substitution service, at no extra charge. Ask the discharge planner before you leave.
Who decides how often a nurse visits?
Under NDIS and Support at Home, frequency is set by the clinical need and reviewed as part of your plan or care plan, agreed between you and your provider. Under CHSP it depends on your assessed need and provider availability. Privately, you decide.
Can I combine NDIS or Support at Home funding with private nursing?
Yes. Many people use their funded hours for routine care and pay privately for extra visits during a flare-up, a hospital discharge, or while waiting for a plan variation. Keep the funded and private arrangements as separate services with separate invoices.
Talk to SESI
If you’re trying to work out which of these paths fits your situation — or you need a nurse at home in Victoria right now while you sort out the funding — tell us what’s going on and we’ll call you back.
Tell us what’s going on: sesi.com.au/referral · Call: 1800 017 374
This guide is general information based on NDIA guidance, the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, and Department of Health, Disability and Ageing material on Support at Home, CHSP and Medicare chronic disease management, current at August 2026. It is not advice about your individual plan or funding entitlement. NDIA: 1800 800 110. My Aged Care: 1800 200 422.
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