FROM HOSPITAL TO HOME DISABILITY SUPPORT TRANSITION PILOT
PROGRAM
653. Mr S.N. AUBREY to the Minister for Health:
My in-depth question is to the
Minister for Health. I refer to the McGowan Labor government's record
investment in our health system and its commitment to address the challenges
facing our hospitals. Can the minister update the house on the From Hospital to
Home disability support transition pilot program and outline how this will help
alleviate capacity pressures in our hospitals?
Ms A.
SANDERSON replied:
I thank the member for Scarborough
for his question. I am very happy to talk about this fantastic initiative that
is fully funded by the state government.
Many times we have discussed some of
the programs in place to relieve pressure on our hospitals when aged care and
disability are not picking up the slack that they need to. We have explored,
and continue to explore, a range of issues that create pressure in our
hospitals and to ensure that people can be discharged when they are medically
well. Hospitals are not the right place for people who are medically fit for
discharge.
One of the initiatives was launched
in February. The From Hospital to Home pilot essentially allows patients to be
discharged from an acute setting into more appropriate accommodation. I was
able to visit, with the federal Minister for the National Disability Insurance
Scheme, Bill Shorten, last week, the first 12-bed facility, which was
established by Hall and Prior. It is an entirely separate facility from its
aged-care facilities and it is a great facility. We got to talk to the
residents there. Some had been in there for a few weeks and some for only a few
days. People have the ability to get out of
an acute setting, whether it is an acute mental health or an acute general ward
in a tertiary hospital, and into a more liveable environment where they
are rehabilitated to live their lives and do the cooking, cleaning and all the
things that are really, really challenging to do when they have been in a hospital
for months and months on end, particularly in a mental health setting.
Just those 12 beds have saved 3 707
bed days since operating—just those 12 beds. Because it is so
successful, we have just opened a second From Hospital to Home pilot, which is
a six-bed facility in Coolbinia. We are exploring other options—maybe a
third and fourth. It was great to invite the federal minister there and, of
course, we would welcome the federal government's financial
participation in this pilot, because, ultimately, this is a holding pattern for
people while they are having their NDIS plan sorted out. To get through the
backlog and get a plan can take months and months, so this is a more
appropriate setting for those clients. They have already been approved to get a plan and whilst the plan is being established
and all the supports are being put in place, they are in the From Hospital
to Home setting and they transition with all
those supports. All those supports go with them to their new home setting to,
hopefully, keep them out of hospital and in more appropriate accommodation. It
is fantastic. I spoke to one young guy who had spent seven months in Graylands
Hospital and had been out for about two days about the relief that that he felt
coming into this transition care, as opposed to just being discharged straight out.
He will have three months to be supported to be living independently again
after what has been a really significant mental health episode for him. It is a
great program. We will continue to save our hospital bed hours by rolling out
more of these programs.