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Community nursing services – general information
Last updated:
15 July 2020
We fund community nursing (CN) services for eligible Veteran Card holders to meet their assessed clinical needs.
CN services
We fund approved CN providers to deliver nursing 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
We do this to help clients maintain independence and get the care they need to remain at home.
Who can provide community nursing services
To find CN providers we send a Community Nursing Services Invitation (the Offer) across Australia to form a panel of CN providers.
Which clients can access CN services
To receive community nursing services for an assessed clinical need a client must have either a:
If the 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.
Refer a client to CN services
Which clients need a referral
A client needs a referral if they are either:
- new to receiving CN services
- starting a new episode of care
CN providers may accept a verbal referral as long as they receive a written referral within 7 days.
Upon receiving a referral from an eligible referrer a CN provider must:
- assess the client
- 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 CN services to a client the referral must come from an authorised referral source, this includes:
- a General Practitioner (GP)
- a Nurse Practitioner specialising in a community nursing field
- a treating doctor in hospital
- a hospital discharge planner
- a Veterans’ Home Care (VHC) Assessment Agency
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. The role of the Community Nurse in this situation is to coordinate care for the CVC participant. Nurses that work with clients in the CVC Program coordinate their care and need to be in contact with the client's GP regularly.