Why discharge can take longer
A hospital stay is often when a family realises home isn't safe anymore. The home may need changes, or the person may need somewhere new to live. Sorting this out takes time and involves a lot of people. Knowing how it works helps you take part with confidence.
Tell the hospital about the NDIS.
If the person is a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participant, tell the ward staff straight away. With the person's consent, the hospital works with the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), which can change the plan so the right supports are ready for discharge. The NDIA says it will be in touch within 4 days once it knows a plan change may be needed.
If the person isn't a participant yet and is under 65, ask the social worker about applying.
Hospital staff provide care during the stay. In most cases, the NDIS doesn't pay for usual support workers to provide care in hospital.
Medium term accommodation
Medium term accommodation (MTA) is NDIS funded housing for up to 90 days while a person's long term home is arranged.
For people leaving hospital, the NDIS can fund it when the person is eligible for supports such as Supported Independent Living (SIL), Specialist Disability Accommodation or home modifications. They don't need a confirmed long term home first.
MTA covers the accommodation itself. Support in the home is funded separately in the plan, and everyday costs like food are paid by the person.
We source a medium term home in 5 to 7 days and staff it 1:1 or 2:1 from the first night. Read more about our medium term accommodation.
Use the 90 days well. A plan written from a hospital bed is often a best guess. The weeks in medium term accommodation are a chance to show what support the person really needs, so the long term plan is right.
The discharge meeting
Before discharge, the hospital usually holds a meeting with the treating team, the family, the support coordinator and the providers who'll be involved. It's sometimes called a family meeting or case conference. You can ask for one.
Write down what worries you most and what the person would want, and ask for a written summary of who is doing what.
Dementia Care Queensland attends discharge meetings and case conferences at no charge, on the ward or by video.
Who makes the decisions
If the person can make their own decisions, they decide, with support from family. When they can't, Queensland law sets out who can decide for them:
- An attorney. Someone the person chose in an enduring power of attorney or an advance health directive, made earlier while they could.
- A statutory health attorney. If no attorney was appointed, the first available person from this list can make health care decisions: a spouse or partner, then an unpaid carer, then a close friend or relative. If no one is available, the Public Guardian can act.
- A guardian. The Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) can appoint a guardian for personal decisions, such as where a person lives and the services they receive, and an administrator for money matters. A statutory health attorney can't decide where a person lives, so if there's no attorney for personal matters, the hospital team may suggest applying to QCAT.
- The Office of the Public Guardian. QCAT appoints the Public Guardian only as a last resort, when no one else is suitable or family can't agree.
Bring the documents. If there's an enduring power of attorney or an advance health directive, give the ward a copy as early as possible. It can save a lot of time.
What to ask the ward
- Who is our main contact on the ward, and how do we reach them?
- Has the NDIA been told the person is in hospital?
- What will the person need when they leave: support, equipment or changes to the home?
- Is the person eligible for supports such as SIL, so medium term accommodation can be funded?
- Which reports, such as an occupational therapy assessment, are being done before discharge?
- When is the discharge meeting, and who will be there?
- Who is making decisions for the person, and do you have the paperwork?
This guide is general information, current at the date shown above. It isn't legal, financial or medical advice. For decisions about an NDIS plan, contact the NDIA on 1800 800 110.