PEG & Tube Feeding Support

Yes, we support participants who are tube fed

Enteral feeding — feeding through a PEG, a PEJ or an NG tube — is one of the seven high-intensity supports PowerCare is registered and audited to deliver.

“Enteral feeding and management” is the words the paperwork uses. Most families say PEG feeding, tube feeding, or the button. They are the same thing, and it is a support we deliver every day, not a special case we make room for.

Who delivers the care

Enteral feeding support is delivered either by registered nurses, or by support workers who hold high-intensity training and work under registered-nurse supervision — depending on the participant’s clinical needs and circumstances.

Either way, a registered nurse sets the support up, trains the workers against the participant’s own feeding regime, and remains responsible for how it is delivered.

What a shift actually looks like

Feeds happen on a schedule, and the schedule belongs to the participant’s dietitian and treating team — not to us. The worker delivers the feed, the water flushes and the medications through the tube exactly as that regime specifies.

Around the feed, the worker does the rest of the day: personal care, getting out of the house, being company. Stoma and site care, checking tube position and securement, keeping the equipment clean, and watching for the things the plan says to watch for are all part of the shift.

Anything that changes — the site looks different, the tube feels different, the participant is not tolerating the feed — is escalated to the supervising registered nurse and the treating team. It is not left for the family to notice at the end of the week.

How to start

Call us and tell us what tube it is, who set the regime, and what has gone wrong before.

A registered nurse reviews the clinical information, and we tell you honestly whether we can deliver it and when. High-intensity supports need workers trained against your specific plan before the first shift, so we will give you an honest start date on the first call rather than a comfortable one.

Common questions

Is PEG feeding the same as enteral feeding?

Yes. “Enteral feeding” is the clinical and NDIS term for feeding directly into the stomach or small bowel. A PEG is the most common tube used for it. NG (nasogastric) and PEJ feeding sit under the same NDIS high-intensity support. If you are searching for a provider, either word will find the right one.

Can your workers give medications through the tube?

Medication administration through an enteral tube is part of the support, delivered by nurses or by high-intensity trained workers under registered-nurse supervision, according to the participant’s prescribed regime. We follow the regime that already exists. We do not change it, and we do not decide it.

Do I have to be home for the feed?

No. That is the point of the support. Families should be able to go to work, sleep, or be somewhere else without the feed depending on them.

What if the tube comes out?

Every tube-fed participant has a written plan for what happens if the tube dislodges — what the worker does, and who they call, immediately. The worker knows that plan before their first shift.

Which NDIS funding pays for it?

Enteral feeding and management is a high-intensity daily personal activity funded from the Core supports budget (registration group 104). Bring your plan to the first call and we will read it with you.