Community nursing services – general information
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We fund community nursing (CN) services for eligible Veteran Card holders to meet their assessed clinical needs.
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Community nursing services
We fund approved CN providers to deliver clinically required nursing and personal care services to our clients. This includes:
- assessing their needs and developing a care plan
- providing care to meet assessed clinical needs
- working with other health care providers as required.
We do this to help clients maintain independence and get the care they need to remain at home.
Back to topWho can provide community nursing services
DVA has a current Community Nursing Services Invitation (the Offer) across Australia, inviting CN providers to join our panel of approved CN providers.
Back to topWhich clients can access community nursing services
To receive community nursing services for an assessed clinical need, a client must have either a:
If a client has a Veteran White Card, we will pay for CN services if the care they need is due to an accepted service-related injury or condition.
If a client has a Veteran White Card, contact us to determine if the client can receive CN services before providing care to the client.
Back to topRefer a client for community nursing services
Which clients need a referral
A client needs a referral if they are either:
- new to receiving community nursing services
- starting a new episode of care
- at the end of each continuous 12 month period of care.
Upon receiving a referral from an eligible referrer, a CN provider must:
- assess the client's clinical nursing and personal care needs
- provide services to meet their clinical needs.
Some clients have care needs that fall outside our Schedule of Fees. We can assess these clients through our Exceptional Case process.
Who can refer clients
To provide community nursing services to a client, a referral must come from an authorised referral source, which can be a:
- general practitioner (GP)
- specialist
- Nurse Practitioner specialising in a community nursing field
- treating doctor in hospital
- hospital discharge planner.
Coordinated Veterans’ Care (CVC) Program
The CVC Program is a proactive coordinated care program. It aims to improve participant quality of life and decrease the risk of unplanned hospitalisation.
The role of a Community Nurse in the CVC Program
Where a GP does not have access to a practice nurse, they may choose to work with a CN provider to deliver the care coordination element of the program. The role of the Community Nurse in this situation is to coordinate care for the CVC participant, and be in contact with the client's GP regularly.
Back to top2022 Feedback Survey
In 2022, a survey of a sample of CN clients and their carers was conducted. A summary of the results is now available.
- Summary of 2022 Survey results for DVA Community Nursing Program Clients (PDF 538 KB )
- Summary of 2022 Survey results for DVA Community Nursing Program Clients (DOCX 32.6 KB)