Health Leaders Demand Urgent Action on $1 Billion Aged Care Crisis

Health leaders across Australia are calling for immediate action from the federal government to address a severe crisis in the aged care system, which is costing the nation an estimated $1 billion. This crisis has left approximately 2,500 elderly patients stranded in public hospitals, awaiting discharge into aged care facilities. The situation is creating significant bottlenecks in the healthcare system, as ministers from various states convened in Perth on October 20, 2023, to discuss the urgent need for reform.

During the meeting, state health ministers highlighted the findings of a report that revealed the extent of the problem. Chris Picton, the South Australia Health Minister, emphasized that the challenges are only expected to escalate due to an ageing population. “Across the country, there are patients who are stranded in hospital beds,” Picton stated. He underscored the consequences of this backlog, noting, “This is the equivalent of 880,000 nights every year in our public hospitals taken out of the system.”

In response to the alarming statistics, New South Wales Health Minister Ryan Park expressed frustration with the current state of affairs. “Hospitals were never designed to be aged care homes,” he remarked, stressing the need for the federal government to take responsibility for aged care services, while state authorities focus on acute healthcare delivery. Park warned that without a clear understanding of how many aged care beds are needed, the situation will only worsen.

The report presented at the meeting pointed to a critical shortage of aged care facilities, a situation exacerbated by the increasing number of baby boomers entering the aged care system. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler acknowledged the ongoing crisis, stating, “There’s no area of policy where we’ve invested more money over the last three years than in aged care.” Butler noted that when his government took office, there was a significant exodus of staff from aged care facilities, and new constructions had stalled.

To combat the crisis, the federal government is providing record funding to assist state governments with hospital operations and targeted investments aimed at helping older Australians avoid unnecessary hospitalizations. Butler remarked, “We need to build enormous numbers of new facilities to accommodate the baby boomer generation, which is upon us now.”

Despite these efforts, Park characterized the backlog of elderly patients in hospitals as “not sustainable” and detrimental to both the healthcare system and the patients involved. “The notion of thousands of aged care and National Disability Insurance Scheme patients waiting in hospital longer than they need to be is not good for the hospital system, but most importantly, it’s very bad for these patients,” he stated.

The meeting concluded with a consensus among the ministers to undertake urgent work, led by Queensland, aimed at better defining the problem and improving data collection for future assessments. The discussions underscore a critical moment for Australia’s healthcare system, as leaders work to find solutions to alleviate the pressures on hospitals and ensure that elderly patients receive the care they need in appropriate settings.