National Hospital-to-Home Summit 

NDISDA, SDA Housing and Disability, Australia’s peak professional network for Specialist Disability Accommodation , together with the Impact Housing National Strategic Alliance, is hosting the Hospital‑to‑Home Summit series to provide a national platform for leaders across health, disability, aged care, housing, and community services.

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These Summits are designed to bring systemic challenges out of siloed policy and operational discussions and provide a solution-focused space for collaboration.

By convening hospital executives, allied health teams, discharge coordinators, NDIS and SDA providers, aged care planners, housing specialists, mental health practitioners, and policymakers, NDISDA and Impact Housing aim to co-create actionable strategies that restore patient flow, improve hospital efficiency, and ensure safe, person-centred transitions from hospital to home.

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Perth WA Background – Hospital System Pressures in WA

Western Australia’s hospitals are under mounting strain due to delayed discharges, extended hospital stays, and bed block, particularly for older Australians, NDIS participants, and people with complex care needs.

Aged Care Shortages: Up to 200 hospital beds per day are occupied by patients who no longer require acute care but are waiting for aged care placements or at-home supports.

This backlog pushes emergency departments and wards to capacity and inflates hospital costs.

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• Long ED Wait Times: WA has some of the longest emergency department wait times in the nation, reflecting constrained patient flow from acute care to community or home-based supports.

• Home Care & Community Support Gaps: WA has one of the lowest home care package delivery rates in Australia. Many patients must remain in hospital to receive essential services that would otherwise be delivered in the community.

• Mental Health & Complex Care Challenges: Patients with mental health conditions or high-acuity needs often face prolonged hospital stays due to insufficient transitional housing or support services.

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While initiatives such as the WA Government’s ‘Time to Think’ transitional bed program and disability transition pilots are helping, more integrated solutions are urgently needed

 This Summit provides the forum to explore scalable, cross-sector interventions that deliver measurable impact.

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The Perth Summit aims to:

• Unite National and WA Leaders: Provide a platform for health, housing, disability, aged care, and community services leaders to share insights and align strategies.

• Deliver Solutions, Not Just Discussion: Explore practical, evidence-based interventions to reduce bed block, prevent readmissions, and improve patient outcomes.

• Showcase Innovation: Highlight WA-based initiatives and national best practices that demonstrate how hospital-to-home pathways can be made more efficient and patient-centered.

• Create Actionable Outcomes: Enable delegates to take strategies back to their organisations, influence policy, and implement real-world improvements in hospital discharge and community care.

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Key themes include:

• Hospital Flow – From Acute Beds to Appropriate Supports

• Preventing unnecessary hospital occupancy through transitional housing, home care packages, and community-based supports.

• Integrated Pathways Across Health, Disability & Aged Care

• Linking hospital discharge planning with NDIS, SDA, aged care, and community housing for seamless transitions.

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Regional Challenges & Solutions

• Overcoming geographic and workforce barriers in WA’s regional and remote communities.

• Housing Solutions for Complex Populations

• Purpose-built and adaptive housing for disability, mental health, and high-acuity patients.

• Policy & Funding Levers

• Exploring reform opportunities, including Support at Home initiatives and cross-portfolio investment strategies to unlock system capacity.

 

Who should attend? 

• Hospital executives, discharge coordinators, and allied health leads

• NDIS and disability service providers

• Aged care planners and home care providers

• Supported housing developers and community housing leaders

• Mental health practitioners focused on transitional care

• Policymakers, funders, and system innovators

• Professionals engaged in hospital flow, cross-sector integration, and community-based support models will benefit from cutting-edge insights, collaborative problem-solving, and networking opportunities.

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 VICTORIA – 2 JULY 2026

 

 Why NDISDA & Impact Housing Are Hosting in Victoria

Victoria faces significant hospital bed block and delayed discharge challenges, similar to WA, exacerbated by an ageing population, complex patient needs, and systemic gaps in NDIS, SDA, aged care, and social housing.

Victoria is facing a growing hospital capacity crisis not because of a surge in acute medical demand, but due to a structural problem in the broader care system. 

As of 2026, more than 450 hospital beds in Victorian public hospitals are occupied each day by patients who are medically ready for discharge but cannot leave due to a lack of appropriate post acute care options. These patients - many of whom are older Australians or people with disability - remain in acute care beds because there are insufficient places in residential aged care, NDIS funded housing (including Specialist Disability Accommodation), and suitable interim or supported living solutions. 

This situation reflects a broader national pattern: across Australia, thousands of older patients are stranded in hospital beds awaiting aged care placement or disability supports, with national figures showing more than 3,000 aged care–ready patients languishing in hospitals - a 25 % increase in recent months. 
 

The Victorian Summit is both a national learning hub and a state-specific forum, providing the opportunity for leaders to benchmark best practice, explore innovative solutions, and co-develop strategies that improve hospital-to-home pathways.

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Summit Objectives

• Understand root causes of delayed discharge and readmissions across Victoria’s health system.

• Explore evidence-based solutions, including transitional housing, restorative care programs, and adaptive housing innovations.

• Examine operational integration strategies across hospitals, NDIS, SDA, aged care, and community housing agencies.

• Develop tailored approaches for older Australians, NDIS participants, mental health clients, and other complex populations.

• Build cross-sector networks and partnerships that drive actionable change.

• This Summit is essential for leaders committed to improving patient outcomes, enhancing hospital efficiency, and strengthening community support networks.

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 BOOKINGS, SPEAKING & SPONSORSHIP

Bookings: Places are limited — secure your seat now for Perth (7 May) and Melbourne (2 July).

Speakers: Opportunities remain for thought leaders in hospital discharge, transitional housing, community care models, policy integration, and NDIS/SDA operations.

Sponsorship: Tailored packages are available for organisations seeking visibility, influence, and engagement with sector decision-makers.

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Why attend? 

Delegates will gain:

• Evidence-based understanding of critical drivers behind hospital congestion.

• Practical cross-sector strategies to improve patient flow and reduce readmissions.

• Clarity on interfaces between health, aged care, disability, and housing systems.

•  Access to a national network of innovators, leaders, and change agents.

• Actionable frameworks to advocate for inclusive, sustainable hospital-to-home transitions.

 

These Summits are Australia’s premier platforms for transforming hospital-to-home care, providing leaders with the knowledge, networks, and solutions to drive system-wide impact.