Supporting people with disability through Hospital to Home after a change in support needs

Yooralla’s Box Hill Hospital to Home service welcomed a total of five short-term residents in 2022, supporting them with their transition out of hospital after an extended stay.

One of these clients was Sam**, who was admitted to hospital while his NDIS funding was being reviewed, to accommodate for a change in his support needs. As he had no medical need to stay in hospital, Sam was found to be a great candidate for the Hospital to Home program.

Meaghan Springett, Senior Service Manager – Hospital to Home explains that “people with disability can be admitted to hospital after a change in their support needs for a few reasons.”

“Their previous accommodation might now be unable to support them with their higher support needs, they may be awaiting home modifications or awaiting NDIS funding or changes to their NDIS funding,” Meaghan said.

After some coordination between Eastern Health and Yooralla, Sam transitioned to Yooralla’s Box Hill service where he could await the arrangement of his permanent supports.

This transition out of hospital and into a Yooralla supported accommodation through the Hospital to Home program has many benefits for people with disability.

“People get out of hospital faster and into a homely environment,” explains Meaghan.

“They have access to their own bedroom, access to the community, there’s no restricted visiting hours and it’s a much quieter environment,” Meaghan said.

While he was being supported at Box Hill, Sam’s Support Coordinator and his family were working to find a new accommodation arrangement for Sam that suited his new support needs. Sam’s Support Coordinator worked with Sam’s family to find the best option for Sam - which included options from both Yooralla and other support providers.

After touring a Yooralla Support Accommodation site in Ashburton, Sam and his family found this to be the best fit for him – with Sam starting the new year in his new home moving into his new accommodation in early January 2023.

As the arrangement of permanent accommodation can be a lengthy process under the NDIS, the availability of a program such as Hospital to Home ensures that people with disability are not waiting in hospital while awaiting new support funding/arrangements.

Pendle Street has already welcomed their first new resident of 2023 and looks forward to supporting many individuals over the course of the program.

About Hospital to Home at Yooralla

Yooralla’s Hospital to Home Program has been specifically designed to support people with disability who are currently stuck in hospital even though they have no medical need to be there.

It provides a mechanism for someone to live in temporary accommodation while their permanent supports and/or accommodation are being arranged following a hospital admission, rather than having to wait in hospital while this is arranged.

This is a much better environment to live in while awaiting permanent supports. It will also support the hospital system which continues to be under additional strain.

Our goal is to make people with disability feel like they are at home as much as possible. Our staff will work with participants to understand what supports they need and how they like to be supported – both in the home and in the community.

Find out more about Yooralla’s Hospital to Home program.

**names changed for privacy