Community nursing services – general information
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DVA funds community nursing services for eligible DVA Veteran Card holders to meet their assessed clinical needs.
Back to topCommunity nursing services
DVA funds contracted Community Nursing providers to deliver clinically required nursing and personal care services to eligible DVA Veteran Card holders. This includes:
- assessing client needs and developing a care plan
- providing care to meet assessed clinical needs
- re-assessing needs over time and updating the care plan as necessary
- working with other health care providers as required.
This care is to help clients maintain independence and receive the care they need to remain at home.
Back to topWho can provide DVA funded community nursing services
Only DVA contracted Community Nursing providers are funded to deliver services to eligible DVA Veteran Card holders.
The list of contracted providers can be found on the Panel of Community Nursing providers page on the DVA website.
Back to topWho can receive community nursing services
To receive community nursing services, a client must have either a:
- Veteran Gold Card, or
- Veteran White Card,
- and have an assessed clinical need for the service
If a client has a Veteran White Card, DVA will fund community nursing services if the care they need is due to an accepted service-related injury or condition.
If a client has a Veteran White Card, the provider must contact DVA to determine if the client can receive DVA funded community nursing services before providing care to the client.
Back to topReferrals for community nursing services
All clients need a written referral from an authorised referrer if they are either:
- new to receiving community nursing services
- have been out of care from a community nursing provider for over 28 days
- at the end of each continuous 12-month period of care.
Referral template
All referrals must be in writing using one of the following:
- D9389 Community Nursing Referral form
- authorised referrer’s own letterhead or referral document
- a DVA contracted Community Nursing provider’s own referral form.
Referrals must be sent directly to a DVA contracted Community Nursing provider and not to DVA.
The list of DVA contracted Community Nursing providers for each state and territory can be found on the Panel of Community Nursing providers page on the DVA website.
Who can refer clients
For a client to receive community nursing services, a written referral must be provided by an authorised referral source, which can be a:
- general practitioner (GP)
- treating medical practitioner in hospital
- hospital discharge planner
- nurse practitioner specialising in a community nursing field.
Receipt of a referral
Upon receiving a written referral from an authorised referrer, a CN provider must:
Upon receiving a written referral from an authorised referrer, a DVA contracted Community Nursing provider must:
- check the client’s eligibility to receive community nursing services
- assess the client's clinical nursing and personal care needs
- develop a care plan and provide a copy to the client
- provide services to meet their clinical and personal care needs that are within the scope of the Community Nursing Program.
Note: The client’s GP is to have ongoing clinical oversight of the client’s care.
Back to topThe role of a DVA contracted Community Nurse in the Coordinated Veterans' Care (CVC) Program
The CVC Program provides proactive care coordination for eligible Veteran Card holders with providers and participants working as team to improve the participant’s health care in a general practice setting. It aims to improve participant quality of life and decrease the risk of unplanned hospitalisation.
Where a general practitioner (GP) does not have access to a practice nurse, they may choose to work with a DVA contracted Community Nursing provider. The role of the Community Nurse provider in this situation is to coordinate care for the CVC participant and be in contact with the client's GP regularly.
A Community Nursing provider must receive a written referral from a GP requesting the provider to deliver CVC coordination services to an eligible client. Referrals are valid for 12 months and monthly updates are required to be provided to the GP.
Back to topResearch and related information
2022 Feedback Survey
In 2022, a survey of a sample of DVA Community Nursing 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)