Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), the Hon. Bill Shorten has today announced that 54 NDIS Specialised Hospital Discharge Planners will work in hospitals across the country. 

These specialist planners will speed up discharge by working with participants throughout their hospital journey, using increased delegation and decision making powers to approve higher plan values at a local level where needed.

A total 50 Hospital Liaison Officers will also now help wrangle the supports needed across systems for safe and timely discharge of people with disability.

These new positions comes as Labor can announce we have reduced the number of NDIS participants waiting in hospitals by more than 300 participants since better data collection began in August.

“I promised to work with states and territories to improve the hospital discharge process for NDIS-eligible patients, by getting the right disability supports in place as soon as they are medically fit to leave hospital,” Minister Shorten said.

“I am thrilled our work is coming together and seeing the number of people leaving hospital and going home or into appropriate accommodation is on the rise. 

“There were over 1,400 NDIS participants estimated to be medically ready for discharge who were unnecessarily languishing in hospital beds under the former Liberal Government.”

The National Disability Insurance Agency will also fund interim plans that include medium term accommodation where applicable.