Thousands stranded in hospital amid aged care ‘crisis’
More than 3000 older Australians remain stranded in public hospitals, awaiting aged care, as the nation’s health ministers warn of a growing crisis that is straining emergency services and costing billions of dollars.
State and territory health ministers will present an aged care report card to the federal government at a meeting in Canberra on Friday showing there are 3,137 people waiting for aged care in hospitals.
The number of aged care patients with no medical reason for being in hospital has risen by 30 per cent in five months, according to a ministerial report card.
Queensland has the highest level of bed blockage in public hospitals, with 1096 aged care patients, followed by NSW with 848 patients and South Australia with 383 patients.
The minister’s report said there was a direct link between bed blockage and emergency department waiting times.
The release of the report underscores ongoing tensions between jurisdictions over the issue, despite the eleventh-hour signing in January of a deal giving states and territories an extra $25 billion in government funding for hospitals.
Some of the funding will help states manage elderly patients languishing in hospitals, but state and territory ministers say more resources are needed to tackle the “spiraling” problem.
They say the problem costs taxpayers more than a billion dollars a year and some patients remain hospitalized for years.
Health Minister Chris Picton said some patients in SA were being cared for at a hotel the Labor government had converted into a respite care facility.
“We continue to call on the federal government to address this crisis, which is their responsibility,” Mr. Picton said in a statement.
“The 3137 older Australians currently stuck in hospitals across the country need a home, not a hospital bed.”
Federal Health Minister Mark Butler acknowledged the growing problem and said a new care facility would need to open every three days for the next 20 years to accommodate an aging population.
“The demand for aged care services is really skyrocketing at the moment because we are in the middle of the first phase of baby boomers turning 80,” Mr Butler told FIVEAA radio last week.
“It puts pressure on the entire system. I know it puts pressure on hospitals.”
Mr Butler said more Australians were predicted to turn 80 in 2027, down from around 15,000 in 2010.
He said more facilities were needed quickly, but the government was increasing the number of home care packages.
The NSW and Victorian health ministers were not included in the joint statement to the federal government.
A 2025 report on aging by an independent NSW advisory council said underinvestment in the sector, along with old building stock and rising construction costs, was contributing to maintenance shortages.
The report also highlighted the negative effects of long-term hospital stay on elderly patients, such as physical and mental decline and exposure to infections.
“Long-term stays can also exacerbate loneliness and social isolation,” the NSW report said.
“Such accommodations can also increase pressure on family carers.”
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