07/09/2026
AUSTRALIA AGED CARE CRISIS DEEPENS: 3,600+ PATIENTS STUCK IN HOSPITALS AS SOME WAIT MORE THAN 1,000 DAYS FOR CARE
SYDNEY — Australia’s aged care crisis is placing growing pressure on public hospitals, with more than 3,600 patients stranded in state hospitals waiting for Commonwealth-funded aged care placements despite being medically ready to leave.
The national total has climbed from more than 2,700 in mid-2025 to more than 3,600 in mid-2026, according to figures released by state and territory health ministers. Queensland has the largest number at 1,272, followed by NSW with 1,027, South Australia with 476, Western Australia with 423 and Victoria with 302. (NSW Government)
Queensland’s broader delayed-discharge problem is even larger. Queensland Health says more than 1,400 people are clinically ready to leave hospital but remain because appropriate aged care or disability support is unavailable. Fifteen patients have been ready for discharge for more than 700 days, while one patient has spent more than 1,000 days in hospital waiting for the right supports. (Queensland Health)
The consequences extend well beyond aged care.
Health ministers warn that when medically cleared patients cannot be discharged, hospital beds remain occupied, elective surgery is delayed and emergency department patients can wait longer for admission. (NSW Government)
The pressure is also being felt in the community. The federal government says about 100,000 people are currently on the official Support at Home waiting list, while an ABC investigation found almost 154,000 Australians were waiting for some or all of their approved in-home aged care funding under the previous counting method. (Department of Health and Ageing)
Federal Health Minister Mark Butler acknowledged the issue is “very serious”, pointing to unprecedented demand from an ageing population and saying the Commonwealth is investing in more home-care packages and new aged-care facilities. He has previously said Australia needs roughly one new aged-care facility every three days for the next 20 years to meet future demand. (Department of Health and Ageing)
States and territories are pressing Canberra for faster delivery of aged-care beds and more Support at Home packages, arguing that public hospitals were never designed to become long-term substitutes for residential aged care.
For thousands of older Australians and their families, the issue is not simply about hospital capacity.
It is about dignity.
People who no longer need hospital treatment are still waiting days, months — and in some cases years — for somewhere appropriate to go.
