NSW Government steps in as hundreds of patients stuck in hospital beds waiting on Commonwealth support
A growing number of patients are unable to leave NSW hospitals because they are awaiting Commonwealth-funded aged care or NDIS support, prompting the State Government to step in and take action.
Almost 1,300 hospital beds across the state are used by patients who cannot be discharged because they need Commonwealth funding for aged care or NDIS support.
The situation worsened last year as the number of patients trapped in NSW hospital beds increased by more than 46 per cent between March 2025 and 2026, from 871 to 1279.
The number of elderly patients awaiting placement in aged care has increased by almost 60 per cent to 948, while 348 people were waiting for NDIS support in hospital beds, an increase of almost 20 per cent.
NDIS applications usually take around 56 days to be approved.
Elderly care evaluations can take approximately one month in emergency cases and up to 11 months in standard applications.
Discharge delays in the public health system have led the NSW Productivity and Quality Commission Inquiry to review the situation; recommendations will be given in November.
It will work with the national Hospital Discharge Joint Taskforce, led jointly by the Federal and NSW Governments, to improve outcomes for patients stranded by delayed access to aged care and NDIS placements.
But the state government will now pursue its own strategy to fix the “Commonwealth Government’s bed blockade” in NSW public hospitals by providing more home care and patient referrals to community-based services.
Health Minister Ryan Park said 1,300 patients a day were unable to leave hospital because they were waiting for a Commonwealth aged care, or NDIS, placement.
“The NSW Government is effectively funding the Commonwealth in its mission to deliver aged care places,” he said.
“The increase in the number of Commonwealth aged care patients stranded in our healthcare system is unsustainable and the Commonwealth has left the NSW Government with no option but to devise its own plan.
“While the NSW Government continues its own plan to address bed blockage, this is in no way a signal to the Commonwealth that its responsibility to provide aged care placements has been absolved.”
In this year’s budget the Federal Government announced $3 billion to provide more aged care beds and better home care for older Australians.
Minister for Aged Care and Seniors Sam Rae said the funding would ensure the system was strong and fair enough to meet demand.
