More than 1,100 Queensland patients are currently stuck in hospital beds while waiting for aged care or disability support.
The Australian Government has recently announced funding for new residential aged care beds in several parts of the country facing shortages.
While investment in aged care is always welcome, Queensland has missed out as it was not deemed high enough priority, despite growing pressures on older people, families and hospitals across our state.
At Council on the Ageing (COTA) Queensland, we represent the interests of older people and advocate for policies and systems that enable older Queenslanders to access the care and support they need to age well in their communities.
From our perspective, this announcement highlights the gap between the growing pressures on aged care in Queensland and the investment needed to address them.
Too many older Queenslanders are stuck in hospital
Across Queensland, hospitals regularly report significant numbers of older patients who are medically ready to leave hospital but cannot do so because the care they need is not yet available.
At present, around 1,126 Queensland patients are occupying hospital beds while waiting for aged care or disability support placements. That is equivalent to more than the entire capacity of the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and Bundaberg Base Hospital combined.
These delays place considerable pressure on the hospital system and can also be difficult for older people and their families, who often want to return home or move into more appropriate care settings.
Extended hospital stays can also increase risks for older people, including infections, delirium and loss of mobility or independence, as hospitals are designed for acute treatment rather than longer term recovery and support.
Access to support at home remains a major issue
Sometimes delays in leaving hospital occur because residential aged care places are unavailable.
Increasingly, however, the issue is that older people cannot access timely support at home. Across Australia, tens of thousands of older people remain on waiting lists for a Home Care Package.
When people cannot access the support they need at home, it can lead to avoidable hospital stays or earlier entry into residential aged care than might otherwise be necessary.
Ensuring older Australians can receive support in their own homes is one of the most effective ways to help people remain independent and reduce pressure on hospitals.
Workforce shortages are limiting care
Workforce shortages are another major constraint across the health and care system.
Analysis by Queensland Health highlights significant staffing pressures, particularly in regional and rural areas. In some regions, health services face workforce shortfalls of around 21%, leaving rural communities significantly under resourced compared with metropolitan areas.
These labour market pressures also affect aged care services operating in the same communities. In some locations, providers cannot operate all their approved places or safely support residents with more complex needs because they do not have enough staff.
As care needs increase, the challenge is not simply the number of beds available but whether services have the workforce and capability required to support residents, including people living with dementia and other complex conditions.
Demand for aged care will continue to grow, including in our regions
Queensland’s population is ageing rapidly.
The number of Queenslanders aged 65 and over is projected to more than double between 2018 and 2066. State level analysis suggests Queensland may require around 26,000 additional aged care beds by 2036–37, with demand expected to increase by about 60 percent.
Queensland is also Australia’s most decentralised mainland state, with large numbers of older people living in regional, rural and coastal communities. This means aged care services cannot simply be concentrated in a few major centres. Investment must support services across a wide geographic area, where workforce shortages and service gaps are often more pronounced.
Meeting this challenge will require sustained long-term investment from the Commonwealth Government. This investment must support not only residential aged care capacity but also the home support services that help older people remain independent and reduce pressure on hospitals.
What older Queenslanders need to see
The Commonwealth Government has said it wants older Australians to be able to access the care they need sooner and closer to home. That is an important ambition.
However, for many older Queenslanders, particularly those living in regional communities, the reality can still feel very different.
While targeted investment in areas experiencing shortages is welcome, what older Queenslanders need to see is sustained action that strengthens the aged care system in our state, not only in selected hotspots.
This includes reducing long waiting times for home care, strengthening the aged care workforce, and ensuring residential care services are able to support people with increasingly complex needs.
Five years on from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, older Australians should be seeing real progress through faster access to care, better quality services, and far fewer people left waiting in hospital for the support they need.
At COTA Queensland, we will continue advocating for an aged care system that supports older people and enables everyone to age well in their communities.