- 109 patients have been stranded in Cairns Hospital, urgently waiting for tailored care placements to be delivered by the Australian Government.
- Australian Government urged to address funding shortfalls keeping patients in hospitals instead of in appropriate care.
- Federal Government's stranded patients leaving Cairns Hospital under pressure and delaying access to specialist health services when Queenslanders need them.
The Queensland Government is calling on the Australian Government to urgently meet its responsibilities to Queenslanders waiting for aged care placements and National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) assistance in Cairns, after revelations stranded patients are waiting in Far North Queensland hospitals.
Through no fault of their own, 109 stranded patients are occupying beds in Cairns HHS facilities, including 27 younger and 82 older patients, who have been medically cleared for discharge but remain in hospital.
A funding shortfall from the Australian Government has left the patients without suitable care options and languishing in hospital beds.
The Queensland Government is doing everything it can to ensure patients receive the healthcare they need and deserve, however funding for the NDIS and aged care is primarily the responsibility of the Australian Government.
These older patients cost the health system $1.91 million every day - costs that should rightly be met by the Commonwealth and a further 290 younger NDIS patients are also awaiting discharge, adding $660,000 per day.
The HHS includes hospitals in Cairns, Innisfail, Atherton and Mareeba, serving a population of around 250,000 people, making every hospital bed valuable.
Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicholls said the Crisafulli Government is doing its part to strengthen Queensland's health system for the future.
"We are committed to improving access to healthcare across Queensland, reducing ambulance ramping, and increasing life-changing elective surgeries," Mr Nicholls said.
"As part of our Hospital Rescue Plan, we are delivering more than 2,600 new hospital beds across three new and 10 expanded hospitals, as well as new and upgraded health facilities across Queensland.
"While we are seeing the elective surgery wait list decrease and important progress on our Plan, there is much more to be done to restore health services when you need them, and we remain committed to delivering the fresh start we promised."
Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service chief executive Leena Singh said a busy hospital environment was not an appropriate location for patients requiring long-term care.
"Cairns Hospital, like all public hospitals, is a 24/7 acute care facility. This means there is lots of noise, activity, and interruptions due to emergencies– it is not the ideal place for someone requiring a quiet, home-like setting such as a nursing home," Ms Singh said.
"Having over 100 long-stay patients in our hospitals means we cannot turn our beds over for admitted patients, ultimately resulting in less people receiving their care in a timely manner.
"We have patients occupying beds for over 100 days whereas we would usually see a new patient in the bed every 3-4 days on average.
"These poor patients are stuck in our hospitals, when they deserve a much better experience based in the community, access to fresh air, ambient lighting, activities and a whole lot more peace and quiet."
