NDISDA Hospital to Home - Hospital Personnel Discharge & Complex needs Roundtable

Part of the NDISDA and National Hospital to Home CarePathways Series

Across Australia, hospitals are managing increasingly complex discharge challenges.

Patients who are medically ready to leave hospital remain in beds because appropriate accommodation, NDIS funding, community services or essential supports are not yet available.

Hospital social workers, discharge teams, NDIS liaison officers and disability liaison officers are often left navigating multiple systems, funding arrangements and service gaps while trying to achieve safe and timely discharge.

The consequences extend well beyond delayed discharge.

They affect hospital capacity, patient flow, workforce resources, continuity of care and, most importantly, the people waiting to return home or transition into appropriate community-based accommodation.

This is why NDISDA established the National Hospital to Home CarePathways initiative.

Why we are bringing this National series to Perth

NDISDA recognised the need for an independent, nationally coordinated approach to understanding and discussing the barriers affecting hospital-to-home transitions.

Rather than allowing these challenges to remain isolated within individual hospitals, we established our National Hospital to Home Forums and Roundtables to bring together the people working directly across hospital discharge, disability, complex care and community support systems.

Following discussions in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, we are continuing this important work in Western Australia.

Our national conversations have identified recurring challenges involving NDIS funding periods, delays in securing suitable accommodation, workforce readiness, Allied Health assessments, assistive technology and coordination between hospitals and community-based services.

We are now inviting WA hospital personnel to contribute their experiences and perspectives.

Why NDISDA is at the forefront of this conversation

NDISDA is an independent industry and community organisation, not a disability service provider.

Through our National Hospital to Home CarePathways initiative, we have taken the lead in establishing a dedicated platform for hospital personnel and relevant sectors to openly discuss the barriers affecting safe and timely discharge.

Our role is to listen, facilitate discussion, identify common challenges and encourage practical improvements in coordination, education and discharge pathways.

The experiences shared through our national series help inform our continuing industry engagement, future educational initiatives and broader discussions about improving hospital-to-home transitions.

We believe that meaningful improvements must begin by listening to the hospital personnel managing these challenges every day.

What will the Roundtable explore?

This facilitated discussion will focus on challenges including:

• Delayed hospital discharge: Why patients remain in hospital despite being medically ready to leave.

• NDIS funding and plan delays: The impact of plan approvals, funding periods and available supports on discharge arrangements.

• SIL, SDA and accommodation: Difficulties accessing suitable housing and supported living arrangements for people with complex needs.

• Hospital and community coordination: Improving communication between hospitals, the NDIA, Allied Health professionals and community support services.

• Assistive technology and assessments: Delays involving functional assessments, reporting, equipment and discharge readiness.

• Workforce and service capacity: Ensuring appropriate supports are available and ready when patients leave hospital.

• Practical improvements: Identifying opportunities to improve coordination, reduce avoidable delays and strengthen continuity of care.

Who should attend?

This dedicated roundtable is exclusively for hospital personnel, including:

• Hospital Social Workers

• NDIS Liaison Officers

• Hospital Disability Liaison Officers

• Hospital Discharge Coordinators and Discharge Planning Teams

• Hospital Managers and Departmental Leaders

• Hospital personnel responsible for complex care transitions and discharge pathways

Your experience matters

This is not a traditional conference.

It is an independently facilitated roundtable designed to encourage open discussion, shared experiences and practical insights.

We want to understand what is happening within Western Australian hospitals, where the greatest challenges lie and what improvements are needed.

Hospital personnel are encouraged to contribute their experiences, raise concerns and identify opportunities for better collaboration across the systems involved in discharge planning.

The challenges are national. The solutions require collaboration. Hospital personnel must be central to the conversation.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

This is a dedicated hospital personnel roundtable and is not a forum for providers to solicit patient referrals.

NDISDA maintains an independent facilitation approach to support open and constructive discussion.

Hospital personnel are encouraged to share systemic experiences and challenges without disclosing identifiable patient information.

Registration discounted tickets are restricted to eligible hospital personnel. Bookings may be subject to eligibility verification.

BE PART OF THE NATIONAL CONVERSATION

Our National Hospital to Home CarePathways initiative continues to build on discussions across Australian states, with a focus on understanding challenges and identifying opportunities for improvement.

We look forward to welcoming Western Australian hospital personnel to this important roundtable.

Hosted by NDISDA | National Hospital to Home CarePathways | Health2Agedecuate