A report by the AMA, Hospital exit block, a symptom of a sick health system, reveals patients medically ready to be discharged from hospital are stuck in hospital beds because suitable aged care and disability supports are not available.

AMA President Professor Steve Robson said many of these patients are waiting for months and sometimes even years in public hospitals for appropriate aged care and disability supports, taking up a bed that could be used by other patients who need care.

In 2020-21, 286,050 patient days were attributed to patients waiting in hospital for a place in a residential aged care facility.

“We have thousands of patients at any given time who are medically ready to be discharged from Australian hospitals but have nowhere to go,” Professor Robson said.

“Public hospitals cannot afford to keep operating with this level of exit block. Our public hospitals already have limited capacity and are struggling.”

You can read the report in full here.