Frequently Asked Questions

Depending on the reason for the surgery, a stoma may be permanent or it may be only temporary to allow the bowel to heal before the stoma is reversed. Your surgeon should be able to provide you with an expected  period for which you will have your stoma.

Whether or not you should tell your friends and family about your stoma surgery is an individual choice. Some people like to keep their condition private whilst others are quite open about it. Either way, it is important to remember that stoma surgery is life saving surgery and is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about.

If you have concerns or are experiencing problems with your stoma, contact your Stomal Therapy Nurse or General Practitioner. In case of emergency, please contact the Emergency Department of your nearest hospital.

The Stoma Appliance Scheme is a specialised pharmaceutical benefits programme administered through the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing. The scheme provides subsidised ostomy appliances to Australian Medicare card holders who meet the Departments eligibility criteria. See here for more information about the Stoma Appliance Scheme.

Persons wishing to access subsidised appliances through the Stoma Appliance Scheme must be a member of one of the 20 National Associations located throughout Australia and pay a compulsory annual Stoma Appliance Scheme Access (SAS) Fee.

The Stoma Appliance Scheme provides assistance to Medicare eligible Australians who have a temporary or permanent artificial body opening (whether surgically created or otherwise) for the evacuation of faeces or urine where normal function is no longer possible.

Subsidised ostomy supplies are available through the Stoma Appliance Scheme from Ostomy Tasmania or one of the other 19 Stoma Associations located around Australia. Members of the scheme pay a compulsory Access Fee to their association of choice to access the scheme. Please see our ordering page for more information about joining and ordering arrangements.

If you have concerns or are experiencing problems with your stoma, contact your Stomal Therapy Nurse or General Practitioner. In case of emergency, please contact the Emergency Department of your nearest hospital.

The Stoma Appliance Scheme schedule lists products which have been approved by the Department of Health to be issued to eligible members. The schedule determines the maximum quantity that can be issued to an eligible member each month, the price of the product, and if there are any product restrictions.

If you require a product that is not listed on the schedule, you will need to pay the full price for it. It will not be subsidised by the government.

When placing an order for SAS subsidised products, it is important to remember though that each monthly or annual allowance is by product type or purpose, not by individual product code. This is because under Scheme rules, where more than one product with the same purpose (eg: adhesive remover product, barrier product, pouching product etc) is requested within the same entitlement period, the allocation of all products with that purpose must be prorated across the total product purpose allowance.

As a rule of thumb, the following standard allowances apply to Stoma Appliance Scheme listed product types:

Pouching products

One piece

• 1 piece closed flat pouches – 90 per month
• 1 piece closed convexity pouches – 60 per month
• 1 piece flat drainable pouches – 30 per month
• 1 piece convexity drainable pouches – 30 per month
• 1 piece flat urostomy pouches – 40 or 60 per month, depending on product
• 1 piece convexity urostomy pouches – 30 per month

Two piece

Baseplates

• Flat Baseplates, mechanical coupling, standard wear – 30 per month
• Flat Baseplates, mechanical coupling, mouldable- 20 per month
• Flat baseplates, mechanical coupling, extended wear – 20 per month
• Flat Baseplates, adhesive coupling, standard wear – 30 per month
• Flat Baseplates, adhesive coupling, extended wear – 20 per month
• Flat Baseplates, adhesive coupling, mouldable – 20 per month
• Convexity Baseplates, mechanical coupling, standard wear – 20 per month
• Convexity Baseplate, mechanical coupling, mouldable – 20 per month
• Convexity Baseplate, adhesive coupling, standard wear – 20 per month

Pouches

• 2 piece closed pouch, mechanical coupling – 90 per month
• 2 piece closed pouch, adhesive coupling – 90 per month
• 2 piece drainable pouch, mechanical coupling – 60 per month
• 2 piece drainable pouch, adhesive coupling – 30 per month
• 2 piece urostomy pouch, mechanical coupling – 60 per month

Other

• Stoma Caps -60 per month

Alternative Systems

Mace/Mitroffanoff products

• Ace Stoppers (restricted item, R1 authorisation required*) – 1 per month
• Ace Stopper Dressings (restricted item, R1 authorisation required*) – 30 per month
• Caescostomy washout kit (restricted item, R1 authorisation required*) – 2 per month

Stoma Irrigation Equipment

• Irrigation Set (restricted item, R1 authorisation required*) – 1 per calendar year
• Irrigation sleeves – 50 per month
• Irrigation pressure plate – 5 per calendar year
• Colotip – 2 per calendar year
• Irrigation cone – 1 or 2 per calendar year, depending on product
• Irrigation Water Bag – 2 per calendar year

Catheters

• Intermittent self-cath catheter (restricted item – R1 authorisation required*) – 30 per month
• Tiemann Catheter (restricted item, R1 authorisation required*) – 90 or 120 per month, depending on product code
• Intermittent catheter – 120 per month

Other alternative systems

• Dilastom (restricted item, R4 authorisation required*) – 1 per calendar year

Accessories

Adhesive Remover Products

• Adhesive Remover Wipes – 60 per month or 700 per year, depending on product
• Adhesive Remover Spray – 2 cans per month

Barrier Products

• Protective Barrier Wipes – 60 per month or 700 per calendar year, depending on product
• Protective Barrier Spray, 50 ml- 6 per calendar year (issued as 1 per two months)
• Protective Barrier Spray, 28 ml – 1 per month

Cleanser Products

• Cleanser Wipes, standard – 100 per month
• Cleanser Wipes, travel (Restricted item, R2 restriction applies*) – 60 per month
• Cleanser Lotion – 1 bottle per month

Hernia Support Belts

• Hernia Support Belts (Restricted item, R2 restriction applies*) – 4 or 3 per calendar year depending on brand

Paste Products

• Stoma Paste – 2 or 3 per month, depending on product
• Strip paste – 30 per month

Seal Products

• Stoma Seals – 30 per month
• Stoma Collars – 30 per month

Pouch lubricant

• Lubricating Deodorant – 1 bottle per month
• Lubricating Sachets (Restricted item, R2 restriction applies*) – 100 per calendar year

Other accessories

• Protective Skin Barrier Sheets – 30 per month
• Barrier Extenders/Elastic Tape – 60 per month
• Small adjustable belts to hold pouch – 4 per calendar year
• Conditioning Skin Lotion – 2 bottles per month
• Barrier Cream – 1 per month
• Protective Ointment – 2 per month
• Pouch Deodorant drops – 1 or 2 bottles per month, depending on product
• Night Drainage Bags – 5 single bags per month
• Stoma powder – 2 per month
• Windless Pills/Drops – 1 bottle per month
• Filters – 50 per month
• Cathstraps – 2 per month
• Absorbent gelling sachets (Restricted product, R1 restriction applies*) – 60 per month or 700 per calendar year, depending on product

Paediatric Products

• 1 piece extra small drainable pouch – 60 per month
• 1 piece urostomy pouch – 60 per month
• 2 piece flat baseplate – 30 per month
• 2 piece drainable pouch – 60 per month

Wound and High Output Pouches

• 1 piece wound pouches – 10 per month
• 1 piece flat high output pouches – 20 per month
• 1 piece convexity high output pouches – 20 per month
• High output collection bags – 20 per month
• 2 piece high output pouches – 20 per month

Registrants of the Stoma Appliance Scheme pay a compulsory Stoma Appliance Scheme (SAS) Access Fee to their association of choice to access a generous quantity of ostomy appliances through the Stoma Appliance Scheme. The access fee is set by each stoma association and is payable to the stoma association where the member (usually) obtains their stoma-related products. The fee is payable once per financial year.

The fee is compulsory but stoma associations may make provision for the fee to be paid by instalments in the case of financial hardship. The fee can also be waived where a member joins the association one month prior to the end of the financial year.

Other costs may include postage, packaging and handling if you are unable to collect your order from our office. There are also ancillary items (e.g. micropore tape, room sprays) not covered by the Stoma Appliance Scheme.

There are provisions under the Stoma Appliance Scheme to receive additional stoma appliances for up to 6 months when the standard monthly allocation does not meet your needs.

For more information, contact your association or your stomal therapy nurse.

• Empty the appliance if possible into the toilet
• Place the appliance and any other items used such as wipes in a plastic bag and secure the end
• Wrap in newspaper and place in the bin with other rubbish.

PLEASE NOTE: Appliances and wipes should never to be flushed down the toilet!

Most persons with a stoma can swim without fear of appliance leakage. Some ostomy suppliers offer a bag intended to be used during activities such as swimming but all appliances can be worn in water. Those people using an appliance with a filter may like to cover the filter with a sticker (a sheet of which are provided in the pouches boxes). Some of the newer filters are teflon coated which means that a filter cover is no longer necessary.

Having a stoma should not stop you from travelling and many of our members travel internationally on a regular basis. It is a good idea to keep a good supply of appliances in your carryon luggage, just in case your checked luggage is misplaced. Remember to precut any appliances before you go as you won’t be able to take scissors onto the plane with you. If travelling internationally, contact the Association to arrange a Travel Certificate which explains your condition in several languages to assist with any Customs enquiries. For those members travelling for extended periods of time, Australia does have reciprocal health agreements in place with some countries which may cover ostomy supplies. See here for more details about Reciprocal Health Agreements.

Airport travellers may like to take advantage of the Sunflower Lanyard, available through the Hobart Airport Hidden Disabilities initiative.

If you are travelling within Australia and are a financial member of an association, you may obtain supplies from any association by producing your Stoma Appliance Entitlement Card. You will need to check the ordering requirements of each association to ensure that the correct supplies are available when you need them.

When travelling overseas, you may obtain up to 6 months supplies in advance.  Contact your association for more information about obtaining bulk supplies when travelling overseas.