State and territory health ministers will press Federal Health Minister Mark Butler for more funding to tackle a sharp rise in the number of older Australians occupying hospital beds while waiting for aged care support.
More than 3,000 patients who are considered medically fit for discharge are stranded in public hospitals nationwide, according to figures compiled by the states and territories. The total has increased by more than 25 per cent in just three months.
The ministers are expected to argue at their meeting with Mr Butler on Friday that the shortage of residential aged care places and delays in home support are placing unsustainable pressure on hospitals.
A report prepared for the meeting found that about 800 new aged care beds were delivered by the Federal Government in the last financial year, against estimated annual demand for approximately 10,600 places.
State governments say the cost of keeping patients in hospital after they no longer require acute medical treatment has reached about $1.2 billion a year.
States demand action on aged care backlog
South Australian Health Minister Chris Picton said older people were being left “effectively homeless” in hospital beds, sometimes for months or years, while waiting for federally funded care.
“It is also awful for other patients who need a hospital system for emergency care where beds aren’t available,” Mr Picton said.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park described the situation as unsustainable, warning that prolonged hospital stays could increase the risk of falls, delirium and hospital-acquired infections among older patients.
Federal ministers have recently announced funding for an additional 20,000 home care packages, while the broader Support at Home programme is being rolled out to provide more assistance to people who want to remain in their own homes.
However, the states say the measures do not address the immediate shortage of residential aged care capacity or the pressure already being felt in public hospitals.
Mr Butler acknowledged that the lack of aged care beds was a “very serious issue” and said Australia needed to expand supply as the oldest members of the baby boomer generation reached the age at which demand for care typically rises.
He also argued that the problem could not be resolved by the Commonwealth alone, pointing to pressures including planning approvals and the need for state governments to improve hospital discharge systems.
The meeting forms part of a wider dispute over a new five-year public hospital funding agreement. The Commonwealth has offered additional funding, including $2 billion over four years to help address the number of aged care and disability patients stuck in hospital, but the states have argued that the proposal does not go far enough.
