Arrival and Registration  

Welcome and Introductions 

People with disability often face unique challenges when accessing healthcare services, navigating hospital systems and transitioning back into the community.

Disability Liaison Officers (DLOs) play a critical role in ensuring patients receive safe, accessible and person-centred care throughout their healthcare journey.

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This presentation will explore how DLOs work alongside patients, families, carers, clinicians and community providers to improve communication, coordinate supports and remove barriers that may impact healthcare experiences and outcomes.

Attendees will gain valuable insights into the role of Disability Liaison Officers in promoting inclusion, supporting informed decision-making and helping people with disability access the services and supports they need both during and after their hospital stay.

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Drawing on practical experiences and lessons learned, the session will highlight how hospitals can create more inclusive healthcare environments while strengthening collaboration between health, disability and community sectors.

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Key Learning Outcomes

• Understanding the role and value of Disability Liaison Officers within healthcare settings

• Improving healthcare accessibility and inclusion for people with disability

• Supporting effective communication between patients, families, carers and clinical teams

• Identifying and addressing barriers that impact healthcare access and patient outcomes

• Strengthening collaboration between hospitals, disability services and community providers

• Enhancing continuity of care and support throughout the patient journey

• Lessons from Victoria's Disability Liaison Officer model and its impact on patient experience

​Delayed hospital discharges continue to place significant pressure on Australia's health system, with many patients remaining in hospital long after they are medically fit to leave due to challenges accessing appropriate disability supports, Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA), Supported Independent Living (SIL), community services and funding approvals.

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This presentation explores the growing issue of "bed blocking" and the practical strategies being used to improve coordination between hospitals, the NDIS, housing providers, support coordinators and community care organisations. Attendees will gain insights into identifying discharge barriers early, building effective cross-sector partnerships and creating pathways that enable people with disability to transition safely and efficiently from hospital to home.

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The session will examine real-world challenges and solutions, highlighting how collaborative planning, proactive engagement and integrated care models can reduce unnecessary hospital stays, improve patient outcomes and ensure individuals receive the right support in the right setting at the right time.

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Key Learning Outcomes
• Understanding the causes and impacts of delayed discharges for people with disability

• Improving coordination between hospitals, NDIS participants, families and service providers

• Navigating SDA, SIL and community support pathways more effectively

• Reducing hospital bed pressures through earlier discharge planning

• Building integrated care models that improve long-term health and wellbeing outcomes

• Creating stronger partnerships between health, disability and housing sectors

Break 

Repeated hospital admissions are often viewed as isolated clinical events. However, for many people living with disability, hospitalisation is only one part of a much broader psychological journey.

Each admission, discharge and transition can disrupt routines, relationships, independence and a person's sense of control. Over time, these repeated disruptions may contribute to anxiety, loss of confidence, institutional dependency, social withdrawal and reduced mental wellbeing, even when the physical health issue has been successfully treated.

Drawing on qualifications in psychology, extensive experience supporting people with disability to transition safely from hospital back into their homes and communities, and previous work in humanitarian operations supporting displaced populations in Nauru and Papua New Guinea, this presentation explores the common psychological impacts of prolonged uncertainty, disrupted environments and reduced autonomy.

Rather than comparing populations, the presentation examines the shared human responses to repeated transitions, loss of familiarity and diminished control, highlighting practical strategies that disability providers can implement to promote psychological recovery alongside physical recovery.

Through real-world case studies, practical examples and evidence-informed discussion, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how successful hospital transitions involve much more than discharge planning—they require restoring safety, predictability, autonomy, purpose and connection.

Attendees will leave with practical approaches that can be immediately applied within disability services to reduce avoidable readmissions, improve participant wellbeing and support more sustainable long-term outcomes.

Lunch 

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.

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.

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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.

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.

Q & A and Panel 

Networking and depart