As part of the Summer Foundation’s Hospital Discharge Flagship project, we have piloted new collaborative working arrangements between hospitals and the NDIS, using funding provided through the William Buckland Foundation.
This project aims to enhance the pathway from hospital to home, with the overarching intention of diverting people with disability away from aged care. This work is combining the work we have done in linking health, disability and housing organisations, under the title of a ‘Collaborative Discharge Approach’.
We are pleased to announce that we will be expanding this work in 2019. In Victoria we have been advised by DHHS that they will support us to expand our work with hospitals. We will use the Collaborative Discharge Approach (CDA) and general NDIS training and mentoring to support health networks across the state. We also have planning underway to expand this approach with key metropolitan health providers in NSW and Queensland.
We are working closely with the NDIA to align the CDA rollout with their new ‘complex pathway’ developments. The aim is to streamline the hospital process, so that people with high and complex support needs who are ready to return to community living achieve the very best outcomes possible. This work in hospitals and with the local NDIA offices will combine with the building program of new SDA dwellings that Summer Housing is leading, and the tenancy matching work done by our Housing Outcomes team. Our ultimate aim is to make a significant dent in the numbers of young people forced into residential aged care over the coming years.