About us
Quality and safeguarding
How we keep people safe and what we're registered to provide. Plus where to go if something isn't right.
Trailblazer Community Care is a registered NDIS provider, registration number 4050133378. Being registered means we are audited against the NDIS Practice Standards and must follow the NDIS Code of Conduct. We also report serious incidents to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. This page explains what that means for you in practice.
What we are registered to provide
The NDIS Commission registers providers for specific groups of supports. These are the registration groups that cover our services, with the plain names we use elsewhere on this site:
- 0104 High intensity daily personal activities: high intensity personal care
- 0107 Assistance with daily personal activities: personal care and daily living
- 0114 Community nursing care: NDIS community nursing
- 0115 Assistance with daily life tasks in a group or shared living arrangement: Supported Independent Living (SIL), ILO, medium term accommodation (MTA) and short term accommodation (STA)
- 0117 Development of daily living and life skills: building skills for everyday living, as part of our core supports and accommodation
- 0120 Household tasks: household and domestic assistance
- 0125 Participation in community, social and civic activities: community access and social participation
This list reflects our NDIS registration certificate.
You can check any provider's registration on the NDIS Provider Register at the NDIS Commission website.
We do not provide Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA), support coordination or plan management. No provider can approve NDIS funding. Only the NDIA decides what goes in your plan, so if a provider says they can get your funding approved, be careful.
The NDIS Practice Standards
The NDIS Practice Standards set out what registered providers must do. They cover your rights, how a provider is run, how supports are delivered and the environment they are delivered in. Providers who offer high intensity supports are also assessed against extra modules for those supports.
Independent auditors check us against these standards. The audit looks at our policies and also at how we actually work, which can include talking with participants.
The NDIS Code of Conduct
Everyone who works for Trailblazer must follow the NDIS Code of Conduct. Under the Code, workers and providers must:
- act with respect for your rights to freedom of expression, self-determination and decision making
- respect your privacy
- provide supports and services safely and competently, with care and skill
- act with integrity, honesty and transparency
- promptly take steps to raise and act on concerns about the quality and safety of supports
- take all reasonable steps to prevent and respond to violence, exploitation, neglect and abuse
- take all reasonable steps to prevent and respond to sexual misconduct
If you think a worker has broken the Code, tell us, or tell the NDIS Commission directly.
Clinical governance, led by a nurse
Clinical governance is how a provider makes sure clinical care is safe and done properly. At Trailblazer, it's led by our founder and clinical lead, Exavier Rikonda, a Registered Nurse with 14 years of nursing experience.
That means:
- care plans for people with health needs are developed or reviewed with nursing input
- workers are trained and assessed as competent before they carry out a clinical task
- health-related incidents and changes in someone's condition are reviewed by the clinical lead
- care plans are reviewed when a person's health or needs change
If you already receive support from us, you have an after-hours on-call number. It reaches a registered nurse or a line manager, so a worker or family member with a clinical concern always has someone to call. In an emergency, call 000.
Training as part of governance
We run internal professional development for our staff. It isn't a box we tick once at induction. Training is how we make sure workers understand the Code of Conduct and how to report an incident. It's also how they learn to safely carry out the specific supports a person needs.
For clinical tasks like PEG feeding, catheter care or stoma care, a worker is trained for that task and checked by our clinical lead before they provide it. More on this is on our team page.
Worker screening
Every worker in a risk-assessed role holds a current NDIS Worker Screening Check before they start. In Queensland, these checks are issued by the Queensland Government. We also check identity, qualifications, references and, for nurses, AHPRA registration.
Every worker must also hold a national police check, a current first aid and CPR certificate, a driver licence, car insurance and up-to-date vaccinations.
How we manage incidents
An incident is anything that has harmed, or could have harmed, a person we support. It also covers an allegation of harm. Our staff are trained to:
- make sure the person is safe and get medical help if needed
- report the incident to their manager straight away
- record what happened
We then look into what happened, involve you (and anyone you want involved) and make changes to stop it happening again.
Some serious incidents are called reportable incidents. These include a death, a serious injury, abuse or neglect, unlawful sexual or physical contact, sexual misconduct and the use of an unauthorised restrictive practice. We must notify the NDIS Commission of reportable incidents within the timeframes the Commission sets. Incidents that involve police matters are also reported to police.
Restrictive practices
A restrictive practice is anything that limits a person's rights or freedom of movement, such as restraint or seclusion. The NDIS has strict rules about when they can be used.
We have supported people whose behaviour support plans included regulated restrictive practices. A regulated restrictive practice can only be used when it is part of a behaviour support plan written by an NDIS behaviour support practitioner and authorised under Queensland law, which can involve the Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety and the Public Guardian. We report every use to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Using a restrictive practice that hasn't been authorised is a reportable incident.
Your rights
When you receive support from us, you have the right to:
- be treated with dignity and respect
- make your own decisions, and take risks, about your life
- have your privacy and personal information protected
- have a family member, friend or advocate with you
- complain without it affecting your supports
- receive information in a way you understand, including through an interpreter
If you need an interpreter, call TIS National on 131 450 and ask them to contact us on 1300 822 333.
If something isn't right
Please tell us first if you can. Our feedback and complaints page explains how, and you can do it anonymously.
You can also contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission at any time, whether or not you've talked to us. Call 1800 035 544 or visit www.ndiscommission.gov.au.
How do I check if an NDIS provider is registered?
Search the NDIS Provider Register on the NDIS Commission website. It shows a provider's registration status and the groups of supports they are registered for. Our registration number is 4050133378.
What is a reportable incident?
A reportable incident is a serious incident that registered providers must report to the NDIS Commission. It includes a death, serious injury, abuse or neglect, unlawful sexual or physical contact, sexual misconduct, and the use of an unauthorised restrictive practice. We report these within the Commission's set timeframes.
Who oversees clinical care at Trailblazer?
Our founder and clinical lead, Exavier Rikonda, a Registered Nurse with 14 years of nursing experience. He oversees care plans for people with health needs, training for workers who carry out clinical tasks, and the review of health-related incidents.
Can I complain to the NDIS Commission without telling Trailblazer?
Yes. You can contact the NDIS Commission on 1800 035 544 at any time. You don't have to raise the issue with us first, although we'd welcome the chance to fix it. Making a complaint will never affect the supports you receive from us.
Talk to a registered nurse-led team
Call 1300 822 333 or send a referral. We reply to every enquiry within 12 to 24 hours.
Asking a question does not commit you to anything.