Tasmania’s hospital crisis: Hidden cost draining health system revealed
Nearly 100 Tasmanians are trapped in expensive hospital beds despite being well enough to go home, as state and federal governments clash over aged care responsibilities.
There are 96 Tasmanians stranded in the state’s hospitals – or the equivalent of three wards. They are medically fit for discharge but are waiting to access federally funded aged care and NDIS support.
The Tasmanian government estimates the delays from aged care patients stuck in hospital in 2024-25 cost $46m and $25.8m for patients waiting for NDIS access and supports.
Data shows that in September there were 73 aged care patients and 23 NDIS patients who were medically ready for discharge and no longer required hospital care with some languishing in hospital for up to six months.
The average cost of an acute bed per day is $2247. That means at present the 96 patients are costing Tasmania’s health system more than $215,700 a day.
Nationwide new figures reveal 3704 long-stay patients are stranded in state-run hospitals, a crisis now draining more than $2.34bn a year from state health budgets.
Australian Medical Association Tasmanian president Dr Michael Lumsden-Steel said there was a “funding dilemma” and the blame game between the federal and state governments needed to end.
He said some patients with complex needs were “to be frank, stuffed around the most because we haven’t got the bed capacity”.
“The AMA is concerned that elderly patients are ending up in hospital and there’s all these barriers to getting them out to safe care,” he said.
“We’ve got basically four wards which is effectively what’s displacing elective surgery out of our public health system. We’ve got patients waiting too long for their operations.
“We want the feds and states to work together to be innovative in funding models that bring back your family doctor, your GP, your family medicine specialist as part of that process.
“We want to end the blame game and the solution is that both the feds and states work together to get the funding models and programs right. We need to stop the fragmentation and fund GPs properly to look after elderly patients.
“Some are confusing healthcare led by GPs with Temu medicine that is cheap or free online.”
Premier Jeremy Rockliff has joined other premiers and first ministers calling on the federal government to fulfil its responsibilities.
“We all agree that this situation is not good enough, and the consequences are being felt across Tasmania’s health system,” Mr Rockliff said.
“Our government has stepped in time and time again to deliver the services Tasmanians need, but I join Premiers and First Ministers from across the country to draw a line in the sand.
“In a united front, we are calling on the federal government to come to the table with a plan to rescue stranded Australians.”
A federal government spokesperson said negotiations had recommenced on hospital funding and NDIS reforms it wanted to see finalised by the end of the year.
“The commonwealth is prepared to negotiate in good faith and looks forward to discussing the offer with states,” he said.
“The government doesn’t want Australians to spend longer in hospital when they can be receiving care back at home or in aged care.”
The spokesman said a billion dollars had been invested to “help rebuild our aged care system” and the commonwealth’s most recent offer to states included an additional $20bn over five years for public hospitals.
Health Minister Bridget Archer said aged care beds had decreased by 54 and hospital bed block was having real impacts on Tasmanian hospitals.
Originally published as Tasmania’s hospital crisis: Hidden cost draining health system revealed
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