Hospital aged care ‘blockers’ moved into theme park
Gold Coast Health is moving discharged hosital patients, who cannot get into aged care, into tourist accommodation.
With more than 800 patients stuck in Queensland hospitals unable to access residential aged care, the state is paying private operators to deliver interim care.
In 2023, Gold Coast Health launched a lower-acuity care service with private partner healthcare services provider KnG Healthcare and aged care and retirement living operator Blue Care, which is owned by UnitingCare Queeensland. Together, they operate 80 interim beds in the Gold Coast, including at Sea World Resort.
“Supported by private partnerships, this approach has cared for more than 1,640 patients and saved more than 32,600 hospital bed days since inception,” a spokesperson for Gold Coast Health told The Courier Mail.
The service is for low-acuity patients who do not require hospitalisation but still require support. Around-the-clock nursing care is provided, and patients are seen to by on-site doctors. Meals are provided by in-house services, and cleaning and housekeeping performed by resort staff.
KnG's website states: “One distinctive feature of this innovation is its complete segregation from resort guests at Sea World, ensuring an uninterrupted experience for both sets of visitors.”
Patient 71-year-old Alex Koltai has been living at the KnG facility since June after “three or four months” in hospital. “They said I had to go into extended care while they look for a nursing home,” he said.
This agreement predates South Australia's Transition Care Service at the inner-Adelaide Pullman Hotel, which recently doubled its capacity under the program to 280 beds. There are nearly 300 patients stranded in South Australia's hospitals waiting for residential aged care.
In Western Australia, where there are more than 300 hospital patients waiting for residential aged care, the Government is also also ramping up interim care facilities. The state’s Time to Think program, being delivered by providers Hall & Prior and Amana Living, has recently expanded capacity to 69 beds.
The investment in interim care comes as the States negotiate a new funding deal with the Commonwealth. Canberra has promised an additional $20 million over five years, but State Premiers and Health Ministers say that falls short of the 45% of hospital funding the Federal Government has promised.
They claim the growing cohort of older long-stay patients stranded in hospital is due to a lack of Federal investment in new aged care beds, and is driving hospital costs higher.
News Corp has launched a Sick of Waiting campaign this week, highlighting the patients waiting in hospital for disability and aged care – months after The Weekly Source first began covering the issue.
Premiers have also united against the Commonwealth. Both the Queensland and Tasmanian Premiers this week issued statements urging the Federal Government “rescue” stranded older Australians from hospital.
Could this be part of the solution? DCM Group CEO Chris Baynes’ Plan T transformation concept: Australia’s 700 co-located retirement villages turn each vacated home over to a long-stay hospital patient waiting for residential aged care.
