As of 30 June 2026, there were 57 stranded patients waiting for Commonwealth aged care and NDIS placements in hospitals across Southern NSW.
Between 30 June 2025 and 30 June 2026 the number of stranded patients in Southern NSW hospitals surged from 40 to 57 (up 17 or 42.5 per cent).
The 57 stranded patients across the District includes:
- 8 patients in Goulburn Base Hospital
- 7 patients in Batemans Bay District Hospital
- 5 patients in Cooma Health Service
- 3 patients in Moruya District Hospital
- 2 patients in South East Regional Hospital
The NSW Government is investing $35.7 million into an Aged Care Response Package, to deliver much-needed relief for older people experiencing discharge delays.
The NSW Government is also working with the Commonwealth to expand services helping older people remain well and safely at home, reducing avoidable hospital presentations and admissions. These initiatives include:
- Expanding Aged Care Outreach Services (ACOS) to provide short-term multidisciplinary care in the home to avoid unnecessary hospitalisations
- Rolling out Virtual Specialist Geriatric Care which delivers specialist geriatric support to people aged 65 years and over at home, helping to avoid hospital admissions and supporting earlier discharge where appropriate
Hospital performance
Despite these challenges, there have been improvements in emergency department performance and the number of people accessing care outside of the hospital.
Across the Southern NSW Local Health District, the proportion of triage category 2 patients - people with life threatening conditions - being treated on time improved in the April to June 2026quarter to 68.8 per cent compared to four years ago (58.5 per cent in 2022 under the Liberals).
Hospitals which have improved the proportion of triage category 2 patients treated on time compared to four years ago include:
- Moruya -70.5 per cent compared to 45.5 under the Liberals
- Batemans Bay - 70.1 per cent compared to 56.7 under the Liberals
- Goulburn -57.6 per cent compared to 43.5 under the Liberals
- Cooma - 84.4 per cent compared to 71.8 under the Liberals
- South East Regional - 66.5 per cent compared to 64 under the Liberals
The overall proportion of patients across the District being treated on time improved in the April to June 2026 quarter to 79.2 compared to four years ago (73.1 per cent in 2022 under the Liberals).
Ramping at Southern NSW hospitals has also improved in the April to June 2026 quarter with transfer of care from paramedics to the ED increasing to 95.4 per cent compared to four years ago (82.6 per cent in 2022 under the Liberals).
Hospitals which have improved the proportion of patients transferred from paramedics to ED staff within 30 minutes compared to four years ago include:
- Moruya - 95 per cent compared to 80.2 under the Liberals
- Batemans Bay - 94.7 per cent compared to 92.7 under the Liberals
- Goulburn - 92.2 per cent compared to 66.1 under the Liberals
- Cooma - 99.5 per cent compared to 97.4 under the Liberals
- South East Regional - 95.6 per cent compared to 80 under the Liberals
- Queanbeyan - 98.5 per cent compared to 97 per cent under the Liberals
Across the District, the number of triage 4 semi-urgent patients has decreased from more than 12,000 four years ago under the Liberals to around 10,400 in the April to June 2026 quarter. The number of triage 5 non-urgent patients has decreased from around 3,800 in the April to June 2022 quarter under the Liberals to around 2,600.
More hospitals, more beds, more staff, more services
This improvement in performance coincides with an increased uptake of alternative pathways to care outside of the hospital, including Healthdirect, the expansion of virtual care services across NSW with $124m invested for urgent care services; over $500m invested into ED relief; more beds and the recruitment of more health workers including over 900 nurses, 740 paramedics, 1,400 doctors and 1,500 allied health workers over the past three years.
The Minns Labor Government's 2026-27 Budget also delivered a record boost of $10.3 billion to help recruit an additional 9,000 health workers, deliver record pay rises for nurses and midwives, and expand services, as well as $11.9 billion to deliver 32 new and upgraded hospitals and more than 2,500 additional beds and treatment spaces across the state.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health Ryan Park:
"The number of people waiting for Commonwealth aged care and NDIS placements stranded in NSW hospitals is growing at an unprecedented and unsustainable level.
"In Southern NSW, this means 57 beds in NSW public hospitals cannot be used as a result.
"Waiting indefinitely in a hospital is not good for patient mobility, recovery or quality of life. These people are more than statistics, and they deserve so much better.
"Despite these challenges, we are continuing to see progress in emergency department wait times which has coincided with a significant investment from the Minns Labor Government into ED relief - and I want to thank our health workers for their hard work and commitment to our health system."
Quotes attributable to Member for Monaro Steve Whan:
"Families across the Snowy Monaro expect hospital beds to be available when they need them, but that's becoming increasingly difficult when patients are stuck waiting for Commonwealth aged care and NDIS placements.
"We're seeing that pressure locally in Cooma, where five hospital beds are currently occupied by patients who are ready to move into ongoing care and support.
"Our nurses, doctors and healthcare workers are doing an incredible job. The Minns Labor Government is working with the Commonwealth to improve access to aged care and disability services, because the sooner people can access the support they need, the better the outcome for patients and the better it is for our local hospital."
Quotes attributable to Member for Bega Dr Michael Holland:
"Having 10 patients across Batemans Bay and Moruya hospitals waiting for Commonwealth aged care or NDIS placements is a real pressure on our local health system.
"These are people who are ready to leave hospital but cannot access the ongoing care and support they need. They deserve to be in the right setting, receiving the right support, rather than remaining in a hospital bed.
"We need the Commonwealth to step up and improve access to aged care and disability services so people can move through the health system safely and with dignity.
"At the same time, we are seeing real improvements in the performance of our local emergency departments. At Moruya, 70.5 per cent of life-threatening triage category 2 patients were treated on time in the April to June quarter, compared with just 45.5 per cent four years ago. At Batemans Bay, the figure has improved to 70.1 per cent, compared with 56.7 per cent.
"We are also seeing much better ambulance handover times, with 95 per cent of patients at Moruya and 94.7 per cent at Batemans Bay transferred from paramedics to emergency department staff within 30 minutes.
"These improvements are a credit to our local nurses, doctors, paramedics and allied health professionals, who continue to deliver care under significant pressure.
"The Minns Labor Government is investing in more staff, more beds and new pathways to care, but we also need the Commonwealth to do its part. Getting people into the care and support they need is essential to easing pressure on our hospitals and, most importantly, getting the best outcomes for patients."
