“My Loved One is Medically Cleared. Why Are They Stuck in Hospital?”
There is almost no greater feeling of frustration: a doctor has given the “all clear,” but your loved one remains in a hospital bed. You’re told it’s a “waiting game” for NDIS supports to be approved, but every day that passes feels like a day wasted. If this is your reality, please know you are not alone, and you are not powerless.
This situation has become a recognized crisis. In fact, the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission itself has issued alerts about the serious risks when participants are “stuck” in hospital, noting a “lack of necessary support services in place after hospital discharge” as a key area of concern.
But there is a pathway. The key is understanding the specific language and processes the NDIS requires to approve a safe and timely discharge.
The Solution You Didn’t Know About: The “Interim NDIS Plan”
Many participants and families believe they must wait for a full, formal NDIS plan review. This is often not the case.
The NDIA has a specific process to help. They can create a “short to medium term ‘interim’ NDIS plan”. The entire purpose of this plan is to fund the essential, reasonable, and necessary supports to get a participant out of the hospital and safely back into the community.
This interim plan is the “key” to unlocking the door. But to use it, you must provide the right evidence.
The #1 Mistake: Using “Medical Language” for a “Functional” Plan
This is the single biggest hurdle we see. Hospital discharge summaries are written by doctors in medical terms. But the NDIS is not a medical system; it funds based on functional capacity.
This is why so many plans are delayed. A report might say a patient has a specific medical condition, but the NDIS needs to know what that person can and cannot do because of it.
Your evidence must be translated into the language of “functional impairment.” It must clearly state how a person’s disability has “substantially reduced functional capacity” to perform daily tasks.
- Weak (Medical): “Patient has paraplegia and requires a wheelchair.”
- Strong (Functional): “Due to their impairment, the participant is unable to independently transfer from a bed to a chair, access bathroom facilities, or prepare a meal without significant in-home support and specialized equipment.”
The Supports That Unlock the Door: What to Ask For
An interim NDIS plan isn’t one “thing”; it’s a package of funded supports designed to create a safe landing at home. Your interim plan can and should include funding for:
- Expert Support Coordination This is non-negotiable for NDIS complex support needs. A good Support Coordinator acts as your project manager. They speak the NDIS’s language and will coordinate with the hospital, allied health team, and the NDIA to get the plan approved and activated.
- Supported Independent Living (SIL) or SDA Often, the primary barrier to discharge is that the participant’s home is no longer safe or accessible. An interim plan can provide funding for SIL (Supported Independent Living) to ensure 24/7 support in a shared home. It can also be the first step to securing a place in SDA (Specialist Disability Accommodation).
- Community Nursing & In-Home Supports If the hospital is concerned about medical needs (like wound care, medication management, or catheter use), the plan can fund NDIS community nursing care. This provides hospital-level skills in the comfort of your own home, taking the burden off the medical system.
- Home Modifications & Assistive Technology The plan can fund urgent modifications (like ramps, rails, or bathroom aids) to make the home safe for return, allowing discharge to happen weeks or even months sooner.
Don’t Be a Statistic. Get the Expert Help You Need.
You don’t have to navigate this complex and stressful process alone. If you or your loved one is stuck in a hospital, you need an expert NDIS provider who understands the urgency of a safe discharge.
Our expert team specializes in NDIS complex support needs and hospital to home transitions. We know the evidence the NDIA needs to see, we speak their language, and we have the partnerships to find the right SIL provider or SDA vacancies to get you home.
Don’t wait. Contact us today, and let’s build the bridge from the hospital ward to your front door.
