SA Health opens first “step down” beds in Amplar Health partnership
SA opens transition care beds to ease hospital pressure amid aged care shortages
- New beds: First 10 transition care beds open at College Grove
- Hospital pressure: 370 patients waiting for residential aged care
- Expansion plan: 50-bed step-down model by mid-2026 with option to grow
- Care model: Partnership delivers intermediate care to free acute hospital beds
The first 10 beds have opened as part of SA Health’s plan to get older hospital patients into more appropriate care settings, as 370 patients wait for residential aged care.
The new beds have opened at College Grove, Walkerville, 5km north of the Adelaide CBD. College Grove is a respite facility owned by retirement village and home care operator ECH and was previously vacant.
The 50-bed step-down model is expected to be fully operational by mid-2026, delivering on a State Government election promise to add aged care-style beds to supplement the hospital system.
Services will be delivered by through a partnership between Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) and Amplar Health, operator of the Pullman Hotel service.
Patients will be able to receive intermediate care in a structured and supportive environment with trained healthcare staff, allowing them to move out of hospital, freeing up hospital capacity for those needing acute care.
The new College Grove service will accept patients from the Royal Adelaide Hospital and The Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Minister for Health and Wellbeing Blair Boyer said: “We are making sure hospital beds are available for patients who truly need acute care, while supporting others to recover in a more appropriate setting.
“We can’t wait for the Commonwealth to invest more in aged care. That’s why we’re acting here and why we took a comprehensive plan to the election to step in and create new aged care beds.”
Amplar Health Home Hospital CEO Sarah McRae said: “Australia’s health system is undergoing a significant transition, and services like College Grove reflect the smarter, more flexible models of care needed to meet that change.
“The speed at which this transition care service has been established and scaled is a credit to the teams involved.
“We hope to see more jurisdictions across the country follow this lead.”
The new Transition Care Service will run for an initial two years, with the option to increase to 70 beds and extend for a further two years.
Other States are also trying to create effective transition care services, including Western Australia’s Time to Think and NSW’s Hospital in the Home program.
