The Summer Foundation and the key objectives of our Down to 10 Days campaign were in the media spotlight in August.
On 8 August the front page of Melbourne’s Herald Sun reported on the nearly 300 NDIS participants stuck in hospital beds in Victoria, despite being medically fit to be discharged. At the same time, there are more than 3,000 vacancies in specialist disability accommodation (SDA) across the country, including more than 1,000 new, purpose-built homes.
A recent Summer Foundation study was quoted as finding the top reason NDIS participants were stuck in hospitals after they were medically ready for discharge was because they were waiting for NDIA paperwork.
CEO Di Winkler also appeared on the ABC’s 7.30 Report, ABC Radio’s AM and 10 News First, explaining the issue. “The number one reason that NDIS participants remain in hospital for months and years is because the process that the NDIS goes through is just too slow,” she said. “With the average wait time in hospital of 160 days costing around $2,500 per day, it’s twice as expensive to accommodate someone in hospital than it is in disability housing.”
In a piece for The Conversation Di discussed in greater detail the main barriers responsible for these unacceptable delays.