The Western Australian Government has opened 42 temporary aged care beds under the state's Time to Think program, one of several strategies the state is employing to try to free up hospital beds occupied by older patients waiting for permanent residential aged care.
The announcement comes as Simone McGurk, who was appointed Minister for Creative Industries, Heritage, Industrial Relations, Aged Care and Seniors after the March 2025 election, has expressed her frustration with the Federal Government's failure to release more funding for aged care.
“We’re sending a clear message to the Federal Government that we need more home care packages, and we may need more residential care packages," she told The West Australian.
Earlier this month, McGurk told Senate Estimates the state will need an additional 2,800 residential aged care beds within the next five years to meet growing demand. Current bed shortages mean that, on any given day, more than 200 people in the state are waiting in hospital for an aged care bed.
The aim of the Time to Think program is to provide a temporary aged care bed for hospital patients ready to be discharged but still waiting on a permanent residential aged care placement or needing more time to asses their long-term options. The four homes selected to deliver the 42 beds - named below - are located in Perth and operated by Not For Profit Amana Living and family-owned Hall and Prior. The program commenced in 2024-25 and is worth $9.9 million in state funding in total.
Time to Think is in addition to the state's Transition Care Program and Residential Respite Pilot, both of which are costing the Government millions but only providing temporary relief.
$100M loan scheme
WA Government's $100 million low-interest loan scheme is aimed at building 500 new concessional aged care beds, and was a key plank of Labor's 2025 state election campaign. The program is still in development.
The state government also committed to funding three older adult care hubs with a $24.3 million commitment. The "anticipated" sites are in Murdoch, Armadale and Osborne Park, McGurk told Senate Estimates. Each care hub will be a "one-stop shop" for older adults with complex and chronic conditions with the aim of reducing avoidable hospital admissions, emergency department ramping, and ambulance transfers to hospitals.
Government will continue working closely with providers
McGurk said WA Health has a strong relationship with aged care providers and their peak bodies and former Aged Care Minister, Amber-Jane Sanderson, received advise from a ministerial advisory panel of aged care providers.
"I will be reinstating a similar committee or advisory panel of aged care providers to represent a number of the different providers and their representative bodies to talk about this and other issues so that I can properly understand what their needs are," McGurk said.
