Albanese’s aged care policies leading to bed block: states
State health ministers are accusing Anthony Albanese of leaving elderly Australians ‘effectively homeless’ by failing to offer enough places in residential aged care.
State health ministers are accusing Anthony Albanese of leaving elderly Australians “effectively homeless” through failing to offer enough places in residential aged care, resulting in nearly 2500 languishing in hospital despite being medically ready for discharge.
The extraordinary broadside on the federal government, which the states blame for what they say is $1bn of wasted taxpayer funds, comes ahead of state and commonwealth health ministers meeting in Perth on Friday.
Newly appointed chair of the Health Ministers’ Meeting, South Australia’s Chris Picton, will argue that the Albanese government’s mismanagement of the aged-care sector is causing an acute bed block in hospitals across the country. “Right now across the country, more than 2400 older Australians are stuck in hospital for no medical reason,” he said.
“They’re ready for discharge but can’t get a federal government nursing home bed.
“These people are effectively homeless, living in a hospital bed. Many of these patients are stuck like this for months, some even years. It’s a national tragedy.”
A paper to be presented to the commonwealth on behalf of all state health ministers estimates 2419 patients in hospitals across the country were ready for discharge but simply waiting for a space to become open in residential aged care, or for a homecare package to be made available.
At a cost of $1075 a day, the paper estimates the bed block is costing taxpayers $949m a year.
Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the federal government was not doing enough for elderly Australians unable to be discharged from hospital.
“The federal government must do better for over 800 older Queenslanders forced to wait in hospitals due to insufficient aged-care capacity across residential and home care,” he said.
“The commonwealth’s teetering grip on their areas of responsibility – not only aged care but also primary care and ensuring private hospital viability – obliges Queensland to fill the void with budget measures like $581m over two years to provide interim care beds outside of our hospitals.”
The criticisms come a week after Labor bowed to demands from the Coalition and the Greens to immediately release 20,000 homecare packages, something it had been seeking to delay until November 1.
Figures released by the federal health department earlier this month showed that more than 100,000 people were waiting to be assessed for a homecare package, while nearly 90,000 had been assessed and approved for care but were still waiting to receive it.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the government’s failure to provide care fast enough to elderly Australians was “not good for the hospital system, but most importantly, it’s very bad for these patients”.
“It’s not sustainable and it’s not the way our health system has been designed,” he said.
The looming battle between state and commonwealth ministers over the bed-block issue comes amid protracted negotiations on the National Health Reform Agreement, which will dictate the federal government’s hospital funding over a five-year period.
However, the NHRA has also been tied to a deal on “foundational supports”, which refers to education and health services for people with mild to moderate disabilities that are currently relying on the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
The health ministers will on Friday be pushed to make progress on other policy areas, including ADHD reform, with Royal Australian College of General Practitioners urging for ADHD prescribing practices to be harmonised across the country.
“There are currently different rules on age limits, review periods and how much to prescribe,” RACGP president Michael Wright said.
“It doesn’t make sense and we need to make this consistent and safe to help kids and adults thrive once they’ve got a clear diagnosis,” Dr Wright said.
The RACGP also urged for governments to fund GP training for ADHD diagnosis, writing to ministers ahead of Friday’s meeting in a letter co-signed by the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine and Australasian ADHD Professionals Association.
To join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? Register
Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout