Record numbers of long-stay patients, many elderly, in Queensland hospitals

The number of long-stay patients in Queensland hospitals has risen 53% since June 2023 to 964 and is at record highs, according to the latest Queensland Health Hospital Performance data. A long-stay patient is one that has been in hospital for 30 days or longer but can't be discharged due to a lack of post-discharge care, such as the availability of an aged care bed. The number of long-stay patients in Queensland hospitals has also increased since last November, when Queensland's Health Minister Shannon Fentiman (pictured right) announced a $200 million, two-year package to address the problem, which included purchasing private aged care beds and supporting private sector aged care providers to care for patients discharged from hospital.

The package has reportedly led to 159 long-stay patients being moved to 'interim care beds' where patients are cared for by Queensland Health staff at a private aged care facility. The Health Minister conceded long-stay patient numbers are still at record highs. “Yes, it’s the highest it’s ever been," she said.  The Queensland Hospital data is available here.