National Stakeholder Workshop: Restorative Care in Practice: Advancing the Transition Care Programme

This white paper summarises insights from a national stakeholder workshop exploring the implementation of restorative care within the Transition Care Programme (TCP) following the release of the updated 2026 guidelines. Stakeholders agreed the guidelines strengthen and formalise existing care, particularly person centred goal setting, multidisciplinary input, and therapy focused care, but noted a significant gap between these expectations and current system capacity.

Workforce shortages across allied health, nursing, pharmacy, and primary care were identified as the most critical barrier, affecting access, limiting multidisciplinary practice, and increasing reliance on brokered services. Goal setting remains central but is difficult to deliver consistently due to time pressures, variable staff capability, and limited outcome measures sensitive to restorative gains.

Equity and access issues, including financial hardship, unstable housing, low health literacy, limited interpreter access, and thin markets in rural and remote areas, were seen to undermine engagement and the sustainability of outcomes. Participants emphasised that TCP cannot function effectively as a standalone episode; delays in accessing ongoing supports often lead to loss of progress after discharge.

Technology and telehealth offer important opportunities to extend access to multidisciplinary care, but uptake is constrained by digital literacy, connectivity, clinician confidence, and restrictive IT systems.
The recommendations in this paper outline practical actions to strengthen workforce capacity, enhance multidisciplinary care, improve goal setting processes, support planned transitions, promote equity, and expand the effective use of technology to ensure TCP can deliver on its restorative intent.