{"id":89971,"date":"2025-08-23T12:24:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-23T12:24:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/89971\/"},"modified":"2025-08-23T12:24:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-23T12:24:11","slug":"federal-funding-unclear-as-pressure-mounts-on-wa-health-system-due-to-stretched-aged-care-sector","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/89971\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal funding unclear as pressure mounts on WA health system due to stretched aged care sector"},"content":{"rendered":"

Perth’s hospitals are full and an aged care system operating at capacity is partly to blame, but with the federal government’s commitment to WA unclear, the sector is concerned the problem will only get worse.<\/p>\n

More than 100 elective surgeries were delayed in Perth’s major hospitals this week to make room for a surge in demand at emergency departments.<\/p>\n

The Department of Health reported more than 1000 triple-zero calls on Monday night, with the influx attributed to a high number of flu cases amongst an aging population.<\/p>\n

“The people that came in those ambulances were very elderly people,” WA Health director general Shirley Bowen said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Elective surgeries were delayed due to a spike in emergency department presentations.\u00a0 (ABC News: Keane Bourke)<\/p>\n

Dr Bowen sent an email to aged care facilities asking them to have care plans in place for residents who were willing to avoid hospital.<\/p>\n

The chief executive of Southern Cross Care Clare Grieveson said the emergency department was usually the last resort for residents.<\/p>\n

“There are multiple supports in place to prevent our residents having to go to ED if they don’t need to,” she told ABC Radio Perth.<\/p>\n

“I guess the really important thing is having the right care in the right place, and sometimes ED is the right place.”<\/p>\n

Beds used as waiting rooms<\/p>\n

Up to 200 hospital beds are used by people waiting to get into aged care<\/a> in WA every day.<\/p>\n

When pre-elective surgeries are rescheduled because there’s no space in the hospital for emergency patients, pressure mounts to free those beds which are effectively used as a waiting room.<\/p>\n

“It’s really challenging at the moment because aged care is full,” Ms Grieveson said.<\/p>\n

“We really are full and so it’s hard to find an available bed in a patient’s local community.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Clare Grieveson said ED is a last resort for aged care residents.\u00a0 (Supplied: Southern Cross Care WA)<\/p>\n

Ms Grieveson said the issue is only going to get worse and estimated by 2041 local governments like Joondalup and Wanneroo will need more than 1000 new aged care beds.<\/p>\n

“We absolutely need to build and it’s going to be really challenging to meet that target,” she said.<\/p>\n

The situation is similar for home care services.<\/p>\n

The CEO of Juniper Aged Care Russell Bricknel said WA has the lowest provision rate of home care packages in the country, which will continue to add pressure to the healthcare system.<\/p>\n

“In an ideal world we’ll be thinking that Western Australia would be getting between 10,000-15,000 packages a year and we’re a long, long way from that,” Mr Bricknel told ABC Radio Perth.<\/p>\n

“The money we spend on home care is really small compared to what it is when the person ends up in hospital.”<\/p>\n

\"Nursing<\/p>\n

Up to 200 hospital beds are used by people waiting to get into aged care in WA.\u00a0 (ABC News: Nic MacBean)<\/p>\n

Federal funding<\/p>\n

The federal government is responsible for the amount of funding and care packages WA is allocated.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At a press conference on Friday, the Federal Member for Perth, Patrick Gorman, was repeatedly asked whether he was specifically advocating for more funding to expand aged care in WA but he did not give a clear answer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“We are already working on investing in aged care across Australia,” Mr Gorman said.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Patrick Gorman did not clearly state whether he was advocating for more aged care funding for WA.\u00a0 (ABC News: Keane Bourke)<\/p>\n

“We acted on the royal commission report, we acted on what we’ve been told by the sector to make it more investible, we acted to make sure that we had the care and support that vulnerable and older Australians need in aged care.<\/p>\n

“I am very proud.”<\/p>\n

When the surgery delays were first announced, the WA branch of the Australian Medical Association said the government needed to commit to increasing hospital capacity and aged care reform played a vital role in that.<\/p>\n

But Health Infrastructure Minister, John Carey, said there is more help coming WA’s way.<\/p>\n

\"John<\/p>\n

John Carey said WA has secured more federal funding.\u00a0 (ABC News: Tabarak Al Jrood)<\/p>\n

“It is a decision of the federal government,” he said.<\/p>\n

“It is a competitive process and I do note more rounds [of funding] are coming\u2026 Western Australia did better than most states in securing our round of funding.”<\/p>\n

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