Aged health care a national disgrace

31/7/03
The Federal Government is treating older Australians as second-class citizens by failing to ensure they receive appropriate health care services, Health Minister Jim McGinty said today.
Mr McGinty said the number of elderly people being left to stagnate in hospital when they could and should be discharged to residential aged-care accommodation was a national disgrace.
He said a report due to be discussed at today's meeting of State and Federal Health Ministers found that Australia-wide around 50 per cent of elderly patients who could be discharged stayed in hospital because no aged-care accommodation was available.
"It is absolutely shameful. Older Australians deserve better, and so does the community generally," Mr McGinty said.
"All Western Australians are entitled to quality health care when they need it.
"In WA we need at least 150 additional residential aged-care places immediately to enable older people who don't need to be in hospital to leave with dignity and still receive appropriate care.
"These are people whose doctors have recommended discharge but have been unable to leave because the Commonwealth refuses to fund sufficient residential care places.
"This not only impacts on our older citizens, it affects everyone in WA because fewer hospital beds are available for other patients while they are being used in this way."
Mr McGinty said Australia's ageing population hadn't suddenly happened.
"The Commonwealth has had a long time to plan for appropriate aged-care services and has failed totally to meet its obligations," he said.
"Even now, with clear evidence of the chronic shortage of aged-care beds across Australia, it is still failing to address the problem."
The Minister said Australia's aged population was expected to double over the next 20 years from 2.4 million (12.5 per cent of the population) to 4.2 million by 2021 (18 per cent of the population).
Last year, 454 hospital beds in WA costing $46million were used for aged-care patients who were unable to access residential care beds.
Minister's office: 9220 5000