The News Limited paper says the figures are a major jump on last financial year which saw 22 labelled high-risk and just two the year before.

Journalist Natasha Bita has also highlighted new data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) that shows 22,873 aged care residents (10% of all aged care residents) were sent to hospital with injuries from falls in 2014/15 – including 6,764 with head injuries and 4,011 with hip fractures.

The paper is also turning to advocacy groups to support its reporting, quoting self-appointed Aged Care Crisis spokeswoman Lynda Saltarelli on staffing ratios.

“The competitive pressure for profit has seen the uncontrolled erosion of staff numbers and skills to levels well below international standards,’’ she said.