"Rescue" hospital patients waiting on aged care: State leaders
Pressure is mounting on the Federal Government as the number of long-stay hospital patients waiting on a residential aged care bed approaches 3,000.
State and territory leaders held an hour-long emergency meeting on Wednesday 19 November and left united in pushing Canberra to fix the hospital and aged care crisis.
A key point of disagreement in the hospital funding negotiations is the commonwealth’s total five-year investment proposal, with an $8 billion-$10 billion gap between the federal government’s highest offer and what the states are seeking.
They claim the growing cohort of older long-stay patients stranded in hospital is due to a lack of commonwealth investment in new aged care beds, and is driving hospital costs higher.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese warned the States and Territories that if they do not "engage constructively" in negotiations, interim funding deals could be in place for another year.
He had earlier written to Premiers calling on them to constrain hospital spending growth before the 2023 Commonwealth funding agreement is implemented.
In 2023, the Commonwealth committed to lifting its share of State hospital funding to 42.5% per cent by 2030 and to 45% by 2035. But the States say the Federal Government is now walking away from the deal. In the mean time, the States are relying on an interim one-year funding arrangement as they negotiate a new five-year deal.
Both the Queensland and Tasmanian Premiers this week issued statements urging the Federal Government “rescue” stranded older Australians from hospital. Pressure is mounting on the Federal Government as the number of long-stay hospital patients waiting on a residential aged care bed approaches 3,000.
News Corp 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.
Should 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.
