The first patients have been welcomed to the Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) step-down healthcare service at College Grove in Walkerville – with 10 beds providing immediate care for patients who no longer need to remain in hospital – delivering on our election commitment.
In the first phase of the 50-step-down beds, 10 beds are now providing intermediate care in a safe and appropriate facility with trained healthcare staff.
Those using the services are often facing external barriers to return to community living such as awaiting aged care placements, needing convalescent care, National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) planning or pre-and-post-operative care.
It offers a structured, supportive environment for gradual transition back to the community following a hospital stay – providing appropriate care outside of a hospital setting, ensuring the right support matches the patient's needs to facilitate a safe discharge.
And importantly – it frees up hospital beds.
Introducing this model enables CALHN to improve the flow of patients and to reduce pressure on its emergency departments while maintaining quality care and patient safety.
Last month, the number of older South Australians stuck in hospital rose to 371.
Aged care is further supported at CALHN through the Care of the Older Person and Community Transition Service (CO-ACT) at Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre.
There, the specialised team work with patients, staff, family and friends to plan the patient's discharge to home or supported care, or to assist in finding a Commonwealth aged care placement.
The CALHN step-down healthcare model is a collaboration between CALHN and Amplar Health.
All 50 beds are expected to be operational by mid-2026.
As put by Blair Boyer
Our hospitals are under enormous pressure, and we need to do things differently. Alternative models of care are crucial to provide a high-quality public health system for the 21st century.
We are making sure hospital beds are available for patients who truly need acute care, while supporting others to recover in a more appropriate setting.
By improving patient flow, we're strengthening the entire health system and helping reduce pressure on emergency departments.
We can't wait for the Commonwealth to invest more in aged care. That's why we're acting here and why we took a comprehensive plan to the election to step in and create new aged care beds.
As put by Central Adelaide Local Health Network Chief Executive Officer, Dr Emma McCahon
Our new College Grove service offers a safe and comfortable environment for patients who no longer need hospital care across our sites including the Royal Adelaide and The Queen Elizabeth Hospitals.
It ensures patients receive the right care, in an appropriate environment which both supports their recovery and journey back into the community.
At my visit to College Grove last week, I was amazed at the facility and the high-quality care already being delivered to support patients. I'm looking forward to seeing the service grow and strengthen how CALHN delivers care for the community.
As put by Chief Executive Officer Amplar Health Home Hospital, Sarah McRae
Australia's health system is undergoing a significant transition, and services like College Grove reflect the smarter, more flexible models of care needed to meet that change.
We're proud to partner with SA Health to deliver a service that not only improves patient flow, but ensures people receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
The speed at which this transition care service has been established and scaled is a credit to the teams involved and demonstrates what's possible when we work together with a shared focus on patient outcomes.
We hope to see more jurisdictions across the country follow this lead, embracing innovative step-down models that ease pressure on hospitals while delivering high-quality, patient-centred care in more appropriate settings.
