Actual and projected gaps in the provision of residential aged care in New South Wales, Australia

ConclusionsNSW was not providing an adequate level of residential aged care and, under current allocations, this problem will worsen substantially over time, with flow-on impacts for the health sector. With aged care reform a current federal government focus, the results of this study may guide decisions that better support the provision of residential aged care.What is known about this topic?The recently completed Australian Royal Commission into aged care noted widespread system failure and highlighted the gaps in medical services that older Australians were experiencing.What does this paper add?This paper reports that demand for residential aged care places in NSW was already over capacity in 2019 and that the availability of places varies considerably across the state. Further, an additional 25 800 operational places are required by 2029 to meet government targets. If the growth rate from the past decade is maintained, this will result in a shortfall of 14 298 aged care places in NSW alone.What are the implications?Without significant increases in the current rate of growth for aged care places, the mainstream medical and health sectors will face significant additional pressures arising from unmet need in both older patients and their informal carers.PMID:34711302 | DOI:10.1071/AH21142
Source: Australian Health Review - Category: Hospital Management Authors: Source Type: research