Following an agreement between governments on hospital funding, National Seniors Australia (NSA) is calling on the states to prioritise assistance for older Australians who are stranded in hospital waiting for suitable accommodation.
Thousands of seniors around Australia are stranded in hospital beds waiting for a place in aged care or for a suitable Support at Home package to allow them to return home.
Last week, in a meeting with Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, premiers and chief ministers agreed to $24.4 billion in federal payments for hospitals through the National Health Reform Agreement and more than $600 million in further spending for the public system.
But an earlier promise of $2 billion for new residential aged care homes to speed up the discharge of older people stuck in hospital appears to have disappeared.
This is despite the plight of older Australians stuck in hospitals being a major bargaining chip for the states in seeking more funding.
NSA chief executive officer, Chris Grice, said while increased funding for hospitals is always welcome, the funding agreement will not help older people receive the care they need outside of the hospital system unless some of this "new" money is used to fund aged care homes in suitable locations for those with specific needs.
"The number of days older people languish in hospital unnecessarily has been steadily increasing. Recent data shows more than 4,000 people have waited more than 35 days for admission to residential aged care or for Support at Home but hundreds more have waited for several months," Mr Grice said.
"For people with complex needs, such as dementia, hospital environments are inappropriate, as they can be highly stressful and exacerbate symptoms."
NSA is concerned that, adjusted for population, the number of aged care beds in Australia has declined.
The graph below shows the situation, state by state, from 2016 to 2025:
The Federal Government is taking action to address this issue with funding via the Aged Care Capital Assistance Program . One of the projects funded is a new residential aged care facility outside of Darwin where the stranded patient issue is acute.
But as the graph shows there are many other areas that could also be targeted for construction of new homes to deal with the stranded patient issue, and this will require new funding to support aged care providers with building these new care homes.
Mr Grice said, "Long-term hospital stays can put patients at greater risk of acquiring infections, take a toll on loved ones, and have flow-on impacts for the hospital and health system contributing to delays in access for all.
"The states and territories flaunted stranded patients to secure more money for hospitals. Now NSA would like to see states and territories use some of that funding to address the root cause of the problem and to start building the necessary bricks and mortar now, especially given the $2 billion promised for aged care has been forgotten.
"The only state or territory without a significant stranded patient issue is Victoria, which has invested in public aged care services for many years, including in regional areas and for people with high needs, such as dementia. These are the two key population groups most likely to become stranded patients. This has resulted in lower numbers of older people stranded in hospitals in Victoria."
The graph below shows state and regional differences in the number of stranded patient days, highlighting where there are significant differences.
"NSA would like to see the establishment of a cross-jurisdictional taskforce across all levels of government to develop targeted solutions to ensure the needs of older people stranded in hospital are prioritised within the aged care system by addressing shortfalls in aged care services.
"Sure, a deal was struck and federal funding secured, but it has come at the cost to thousands of stranded patients whose plights have been forgotten.
"This isn't a deal only about dollars - it's about older people who built this country, shaped our communities, and who deserve aged care support and a place to call home."
If you feel strongly about this and other issues related to aged care, please sign up to our aged care campaign .
There are also links to useful resources to help you navigate the complex aged care system available on this page.
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