Arrival and Registration  

Welcome and Introductions 

The Federal Government’s May 2026 NDIS reform package is reshaping the interface between hospitals, mental health systems, housing providers and disability services.

While the reforms are designed to secure the long-term sustainability of the NDIS, they are also creating significant uncertainty for hospital discharge teams, psychosocial providers, Supported Independent Living (SIL) operators, SDA providers, transitional accommodation services and community housing organisations.

​

As eligibility thresholds tighten and governments shift toward “Foundational Supports” outside the NDIS, providers are warning of growing risks for participants leaving hospital without appropriate housing, psychosocial supports or funded transition pathways.

Concerns are mounting around delayed discharge, bed block pressures, homelessness risk, participant reassessment outcomes, and the increasing complexity of determining whether responsibility sits with hospitals, state mental health systems, housing services or the NDIS.

​

This session will examine how the 2026 reforms are expected to impact:

• Hospital discharge and hospital avoidance pathways

• Psychosocial disability access and reassessment

• SIL, SDA and transitional accommodation approvals

• Mental health step-up/step-down and community recovery models

• The growing role of foundational supports outside the NDIS

• Interface responsibilities between health, housing and disability systems

• Complex discharge coordination for participants with behavioural, forensic and high-support needs

• Future commissioning reforms affecting home and living supports

​

The session will bring together hospitals, nurses, psychosocial providers, housing organisations, support coordinators, government stakeholders and disability leaders to explore how Australia can prevent vulnerable participants from falling into systemic gaps during transition from hospital to home.

The 2026 reforms introduce stricter reassessment processes, functional capacity testing and stronger scrutiny of “reasonable and necessary” supports.

Providers are increasingly concerned about the implications for participants with episodic mental illness, psychosocial disability, acquired brain injury and fluctuating support needs — particularly those transitioning from hospital back into the community.

This session explores legal, operational and ethical risks associated with reassessment, discharge planning and continuity of supports under the future NDIS framework.​

As Australia transitions toward foundational supports and tighter NDIS access frameworks, concerns are growing around people who may no longer meet revised eligibility thresholds yet continue to require significant support after hospitalisation.

​

This session explores the emerging “service gap” between acute health, mental health, housing and disability systems - particularly for participants with psychosocial disability, acquired brain injury, neurological conditions and complex behavioural needs.

​

Experts will examine how hospitals, community providers and governments can respond to increasing discharge complexity while reducing homelessness, institutionalisation and avoidable hospital stays.

Key discussion points include:

• Foundational supports and changing access pathways

• Psychosocial disability and treatment exhaustion concerns

• Housing insecurity following discharge

• Participants at risk of losing supports

• Responsibilities between states, hospitals and the NDIS

• Preventing discharge into homelessness or unsafe environments

​Psychosocial disability remains one of the most complex and rapidly evolving areas within the NDIS and hospital discharge system. Proposed reforms relating to permanency, reassessment and functional capacity are creating widespread uncertainty across mental health, housing and community support sectors.

​

This session examines the future of psychosocial supports in Australia and the growing need for integrated mental health, housing and recovery-focused service models capable of reducing hospital presentations and supporting long-term community stability.

​

The discussion will explore practical strategies for improving continuity of care, preventing readmission cycles and strengthening psychosocial recovery pathways under a changing NDIS landscape.

​

Key discussion points include:

• The future of psychosocial supports under NDIS reforms

• Mental health discharge complexity and community risk

• Preventing repeated hospital presentations

• Recovery-oriented housing and support models

• Workforce capability and trauma-informed care

• Collaboration between hospitals, NGOs and housing providers

Panel and audience Q & A  

Lunch 

As reforms to the National Disability Insurance Scheme continue to reshape funding decisions and eligibility in 2026, a growing number of participants with high support needs are experiencing disruption to previously approved housing pathways—including access to Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA).

​

This has given rise to an emerging “revolving door” dynamic, where participants who have exited hospital into SDA or Supported Independent Living (SIL) arrangements are later forced to exit those settings due to funding changes, plan reassessments, or delays in approvals.

In the absence of viable alternative supports or housing, some individuals are re-presenting to hospital systems - contributing directly to bed block and system congestion.

​

This session examines the downstream impact of funding uncertainty across the hospital-to-SDA pathway, including the effect on discharge planning, tenancy stability, and participant wellbeing.

It will explore how breakdowns in continuity of funding create risk not only for individuals, but also for providers, support coordinators, and SDA investors managing vacancy exposure and service sustainability.

​

Key discussion areas include the interface between hospital discharge teams and NDIS planning processes, risk mitigation strategies for maintaining housing continuity, and the structural gaps that emerge when health, disability, and housing systems are not aligned.

Delegates will gain insight into emerging approaches to stabilise transitions, reduce re-admissions, and support

long-term, sustainable housing outcomes for participants with complex needs.

Hospital discharge is a pivotal transition point in the care journey, where outcomes are shaped not only by clinical readiness but by the strength of collaboration across health, aged care, disability, and housing systems.

This session explores the central role of hospital social workers in coordinating this complex interface and strengthening pathways that enable safe, timely, and person-centred discharge.

Hospital social workers sit at the intersection of multiple systems, working across organisational and sector boundaries to align services and support continuity of care.
They play a critical role in care coordination, risk assessment, advocacy, and discharge planning, translating complex system requirements into practical, individualised outcomes for patients, families, and carers.

The discussion will also explore the realities hospital social workers face in managing complex discharges, including the systemic barriers that arise when health services, aged care, disability supports, and housing systems are not effectively aligned.

It will highlight how effective cross-sector collaboration can reduce fragmentation, strengthen continuity of care, and improve discharge outcomes for individuals and families.

Break  

Hospital discharge is a critical juncture in patient care, particularly for vulnerable populations such as people with disabilities, mental health conditions, and the elderly

Inadequate assessment, planning, or follow-up can result in serious harm or death, raising complex legal questions around duty of care, clinical negligence, and hospital accountability.

​

This session will explore the legal implications of discharge decisions, examine Australian case law and coroner findings, and highlight best-practice strategies to safeguard patients while mitigating legal risk.

Attendees will gain insights into how hospitals, clinicians, and policymakers can ensure safe, evidence-based discharge processes that protect patients and reduce liability.

Commencing in October 2026, the Australian Government’s Support at Home program -led by the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing—represents a fundamental shift in how in-home care is delivered, with direct implications for hospital demand, discharge pathways, and community-based care models.

​

Replacing legacy programs, Support at Home introduces a more flexible and responsive framework for delivering personal care and support services, with a strong policy focus on keeping people well at home and reducing avoidable hospital admissions.

​

This session explores how the reform is reshaping hospital avoidance strategies and enabling earlier discharge through expanded in-home supports, integrated care pathways, and improved service responsiveness.

It will examine how in-home care is increasingly being positioned as an extension of the health system, rather than a separate downstream service.

​

Key areas include the role of in-home supports in reducing length of stay, supporting post-acute recovery, and bridging the gap between hospital and long-term care, as well as the operational implications for providers delivering services in more complex, clinically informed environments.

As Australia implements its most significant aged care reform in decades, the introduction of a strengthened Aged Care Act and the transition to Support at Home is redefining provider obligations, regulatory expectations, and service delivery models.

In this practical and insight-driven session, Lisa Baker unpacks what these reforms mean in operation - not just policy. Attendees will gain clarity on the new rights-based, person-centred framework, including strengthened Quality Standards, enhanced compliance obligations, and the transition to a single, risk-based provider registration model.

​

A central focus will be the transition from existing programs—including Home Care Packages (HCP), Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP), and Short-Term Restorative Care (STRC)-into the new Support at Home framework. Practical guidance will be provided on maintaining continuity of care, managing participant transitions, and aligning services to the new funding and delivery structure.

​

Critically, this session will explore the growing interface between the National Disability Insurance Scheme and aged care systems. As more participants transition out of the NDIS, providers must adapt to dual-system operation, evolving funding models, and differing compliance regimes.

​

Key themes include governance alignment, audit readiness, workforce capability, and strategies for delivering consistent, person-centred outcomes across both systems in an increasingly integrated care environment.

This session will showcase national and Victorian initiatives that are improving hospital-to-home pathways. Examples include the Pathways to Community Living Initiative (NSW), Mental Health-Housing In Reach Service (MH-HIRS), HASI and HASI Plus programs, and Victoria’s peer-led Lived Experience Residential Service in Moolap. Delegates will explore how integrated, recovery-oriented approaches reduce hospital admissions, support independence, and enhance continuity of care.

The discussion will examine strategies for hospitals, housing providers, NDIS planners, and mental health services to collaborate effectively, leverage transitional and short-term accommodation, and implement centralised discharge pathways.

Delegates will gain practical insights to reduce bed block, improve patient outcomes, and strengthen community-based care.

​As hospital systems across Victoria continue to face sustained capacity pressure in 2026, the discharge of high-acuity patients - particularly bariatric individuals with complex clinical and mobility needs - has emerged as a critical challenge in addressing bed block and improving patient flow.

​

Bariatric discharge is no longer solely a clinical consideration; it requires coordinated planning across infrastructure, equipment, workforce capability, and transport logistics.

Safe transition from hospital to home or alternative care settings depends on the availability of specialised equipment, appropriate housing environments, and clinically supported care models that can be rapidly mobilised.

​

This session examines how system-wide initiatives such as Health.vic’s Better at Home approach and the expansion of Hospital in the Home (HITH) are supporting earlier discharge through home-based acute care, virtual monitoring, and multidisciplinary outreach.

It will also explore the role of the Better Health Channel’s Transition Care Program (TCP) in providing short-term restorative care for patients requiring ongoing support following hospitalisation.

​

Key operational challenges will be addressed, including limited availability of bariatric-capable equipment and housing, delays in home modifications, and the complexity of arranging safe non-emergency patient transport.

The session will also highlight governance considerations, including discharge responsibility timeframes, safety and environmental assessments, and the coordination required across health, aged care, and disability systems.

​

Delegates will gain insight into how providers and health services are responding to these challenges through integrated discharge planning, specialised service pathways, and investment in home-based care models- ensuring safe, dignified, and timely transitions for one of the most complex patient cohorts in the hospital system.

Networking and depart