The Summer Foundation continues to be concerned about the high numbers of people with disability who remain in hospital long after their medical or clinical needs have been addressed.
Often this is due to a lack of alignment between systems in health and the way the NDIS is operating. Many people with complex needs cannot be discharged safely without having disability supports in place, so having an active NDIS plan before leaving hospital is critical.
The Summer Foundation is involved in several projects to address this problem. We have produced a number of resources for health workers and are working with discharge planners to navigate the complexities of NDIS language, plans and assessments.
We are now expanding the scope of the collaboration pilots that are underway with Ballarat and Barwon Health, rolling out a Collaborative Discharge Approach (CDA) with Austin and Alfred Health. The expansion of these projects has been made possible by support from the William Buckland Foundation and DHHS Victoria. We are also negotiating similar projects in Brisbane and Sydney, and hope to expand further as we gather evidence of people having improved transitions home.
These projects all involve better alignments between health and NDIS processes, but also focus on skills development in the support coordination workforce and the all-important issue of finding a suitable housing option. It is also essential to have the right amount of support, particularly when there is a risk of admission to aged care.
More information on the Collaborative Discharge Approach will be available in the coming months, so watch out for updates on our website.