Eighty elderly people are in Canberra hospitals waiting for Commonwealth aged care placements. Photo: Addictive.
Pressure’s growing on the Commonwealth Government to do something about the more than 3600 people stranded in public hospitals across the country – including 80 in the ACT – waiting for aged care placements.
State and territory health ministers have called for a commitment to providing more Support at Home packages to help these people get back home while they wait for an aged care spot.
ACT Health Minister Dr Marisa Paterson said older Australians shouldn’t have to spend extra time in hospital if their care needs could be better met either in the community or in residential aged care.
“These delays are difficult for patients and their loved ones and contribute to increasing pressure across the broader health system,” she said.
“People deserve timely access to the right care in the right setting, and we will continue engaging with our federal counterparts to help make that a reality.”
Almost 100,000 people are waiting for Support at Home packages.
The number of people waiting in hospital to access Commonwealth Government aged care placements rose from 2736 people in mid-2025 to 3732 people in mid-2026:
- Queensland – from 1076 to 1272
- NSW – from 750 to 1027
- South Australia – from 245 to 476
- Western Australia – from 230 to 423
- Victoria – from 226 to 302
- Tasmania – from 55 to 78
- NT – from 76 to 74
- ACT – from 78 to 80.
Sector stakeholders said this showed the “looming national crisis” in aged care capacity was spilling over into hospitals and community-based healthcare.
Sector stakeholders Ageing Australia, the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) released a joint statement slamming the situation.
Ageing Australia CEO Tom Symondson said promised investments in new beds weren’t happening.
“We were shocked to see that the increase to residential care funding announced … at only 2.55 per cent … is below inflation. With residential care already underfunded, this real terms cut makes the situation even worse,” he said.
“On top of this, home care providers cannot make ends meet, and Support at Home packages are not keeping up with demand.
“Unless something is done to substantially increase aged care capacity, build more beds and deliver more Support at Home Packages, more and more older Australians risk early or avoidable admission to hospital, not to mention delayed discharge.”
Older people admitted to hospital after a medical episode, such as a stroke or fall, may be unable to leave unless they have a residential care bed or Support at Home package.
Some end up staying in emergency departments while they wait for a spot.
“Recent figures show there are almost 3300 older people stranded in hospital beds waiting for aged care placement across the nation, a 35 per cent increase in only six months,” ACEM president Dr Peter Allely said.
“As emergency physicians, we’re caring for older patients in emergency departments for far longer than they were ever designed for.
“Emergency departments are noisy, busy, and constantly moving. They’re not the right place for older people with dementia, frailty, or complex needs to spend extended periods of time. Every day we see people who are frightened, confused, and unwell, often separated from loved ones, familiar routines, faces and supports.”
RACGP president Dr Michael Wright added that the pressures on aged care flowed through to general practice.
“General practitioners see every day the challenges older patients and their families face when they’re unable to access the care and support they need,” he said.
“Delays can have a significant impact on a person’s health, independence and quality of life.”
All health ministers met late last week to discuss the issue.
Federal Health Minister Mark Butler told Sunrise the Federal Government was “ploughing” money into more Support at Home packages and supporting providers to build new facilities, but the system was facing “unprecedented demand”.
“With the ageing of the baby boomers, there are more older Australians in Australia, there are more in aged care, there are more waiting for aged care, and it stands to reason there, unfortunately, are more in our hospital system as well,” he said.
“We’re experiencing unprecedented demand for those services … it’s a very serious issue in our hospital system as it is in our broader aged care system.”
Federal Opposition Health Minister Jane Hume said the current situation was “entirely predictable”.
“You can’t claim to have fixed the health care system if you’ve got our parents, our grandparents sitting in hospital beds waiting for a residential aged care bed because Labor has failed to meet the demand and anticipate that demand, and has indeed cut funding where it’s needed the most,” she said.
Original Article published by Claire Fenwicke on Region Canberra.
