Help Loved Ones Get Home For The Holidays

The Department of Health is urging Tasmanians to help hospital staff get patients home safely for Christmas. Secretary Dale Webster said recovering at home improves patient wellbeing and frees up beds during the busy holiday period. Webster encouraged families to coordinate transport and discharge plans with care teams to ensure a smooth transition.

Media release – Dale Webster, Secretary, Department of Health, 20 December 2025

Simple actions can help loved ones get home in time for Christmas and New Year

The Department of Health is encouraging the Tasmanian community to assist hospital staff to ensure their loved ones can come home in time for Christmas and throughout the holiday season.

Our hospital staff work hard to ensure patients don’t have to stay in hospital any longer than they need to, but there are some ways that family, friends and carers can help by supporting their loved ones to return home, once they are ready to leave.

Department of Health Secretary, Dale Webster, said that while hospitals are the right place for people when they are very unwell, it’s important patients well enough to continue to recover at home can do so as quickly as possible.

“Evidence shows leaving hospital once medically well enough is much better for a patient’s mental and physical wellbeing, with recovery likely to happen more quickly in a home environment,” Webster said.

“This is especially important this time of year where in many cases some simple steps and preparations by family, friends and carers can make the difference between patients spending the holidays at home or remaining in hospital.

“This starts with staying in close contact with your loved one and their care team to be clear about the next steps in their care and discharge plan.

“You can also help with practical things like providing transport home, making sure they have everything they need when they leave, and supporting with the transition away from hospital, particularly in the first few days,” Webster said.

Hospital staff work closely with patients to plan safe discharge from the start of their hospital stay to avoid delays. This includes setting an estimated discharge date early on and identifying ongoing care and support required when the patient leaves.

Webster said going home from hospital without delay was better for patient recovery and for the wider hospital system by making beds available for other patients who need them, particularly during busy seasonal periods.

“No patient will be discharged from hospital if they are not well enough, but when it is appropriate we will try to make sure that they will be discharged from hospital by 10:00,’’ Webster said.

“If they need additional support, we will aim to make these arrangements.

This includes our own community-based services, such as community nursing, allied health support and community and specialist follow-up, and those provided by health system partners such as Australian Government aged care packages and NDIS supports.”

How you can help if you have a family or friend in hospital:

• Stay in close contact with your loved one and their care team so everyone is clear about the estimated discharge date and plan to return home.
• Help organise your loved one’s transport home by 10.00am on the agreed leaving day so hospitals can prepare the bed for another patient.
• Make sure your loved one has the essentials when they leave, including clothes to travel in, house keys and any ongoing medications.
• Help prepare their home for them, including making sure there is food in the cupboard, turning the heating on and removing trip hazards.
• Consider what you can reasonably do to practically support your loved ones when they return home, particularly in the first few days.

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