Recent reports indicate that up to 10 percent of public hospital beds in Australia are occupied by “stranded” patients—people who are medically cleared for discharge but have nowhere suitable to go. Accommodating aged care or disability supports is one major part of the problem. As aged care reforms roll out (including the Support at Home program), questions arise about how disability support systems (like the NDIS) and aged care ensure smooth transitions, manage shared client needs, and avoid putting pressure on the health system.
This article explores the issue of stranded patients, how aged care and disability systems overlap, recent developments, and what needs to happen to reduce avoidable hospital stays and improve care pathways.
What “Stranded Patients” Mean & Why They Are a Big Issue
- The term refers to people who no longer need acute hospital care but cannot leave hospital because appropriate accommodation, home supports, or care packages are not available. This includes older adults, people with disability, and those with high support needs.
- A recent report by state and territory treasurers found that up to 10 per cent of public hospital beds are occupied by people who are waiting for aged care or disability placements. This represents a large cost burden on the health system, risk for patients (hospital-acquired complications, loss of mobility etc.), and inefficiency.
- The drivers include workforce shortages (in aged care, home care, disability support), lack of adequate home or community support, delays in assessments and package allocations, gaps in housing or facility capacity, difficulties in transitions between systems.
How Aged Care Reforms Fit In
- The new Support at Home program (aged care) is intended to help more older people remain in community and home settings. Faster, more appropriate support services, home modifications, assistive technology are central. These could prevent hospital discharges being delayed.
- Digital reforms strengthened quality standards, and financial/prudential standards (beginning 1 November 2025) are meant to improve provider reliability, capacity and responsiveness. This may help reduce some hospital-to-care transition delays.
- Changes in funding and fee contributions under aged care will also affect how quickly older people can access residential care when needed, or home-based care that allows them to leave hospital. If contributions are high or access delayed, hospital stays may lengthen.
How Disability Supports & the NDIS Intersect
- Many patients who are ready for discharge need supports that cross aged care and disability lines: personal care, allied health, home modifications, suitable housing, sometimes 24/7 support.
- If disability services (NDIS) or community disability supports are delayed, aged care must often pick up or delay hospital discharge. Coordination is essential.
- While recent public sources do not yet provide full clarity about how aged care reform synchronises with NDIS policy in 2025, the hospital‐bed report underscores that lack of interagency integration is hurting system efficiency.
Recent Data & Developments
- The report mentioned above, with 10 per cent public hospital beds taken by stranded patients, is a wake-up call showing how aged care / disability capacity shortfalls affect health budgets, patient health outcomes, and flow through the health system.
- Meanwhile, inquiry into aged care waiting lists reveals over 200,000 people waiting for aged care services (assessment or package), indicating aged care capacity is lagging demand. That contributes directly to the problem of hospital discharge delays.
- Digital reforms and readiness efforts may help reduce delay caused by paperwork / assessment bottlenecks—assuming providers are prepared and systems are functional.
What Needs to Happen to Solve the Stranded Patients Problem
- Faster assessment and package allocation: reduce waiting times for aged care packages, home support and disability supports.
- Better coordination between health, aged care, and disability systems: shared case planning, discharge planning that includes both aged care and NDIS/different community supports.
- Investment in home-based services and housing options: more supply of accessible housing, supported living, community supports so people can leave hospital into safe supportive environments.
- Ensure aligned policy rollout schedules: aged care reforms should be timed considering disability support reforms, so that when aged care expects certain community supports, those disability / home assistance services are ready.
- Support workforce growth: staff in aged care, home care, disability support must grow; shortage increases delays.
- Monitor hospital bed use & discharge delays: publicly report on how many people are in hospital ready for discharge due to insufficient aged care / disability support capacity; use that data to iteratively fix gaps.
What To Watch For
- Whether hospital bed occupancy by medically cleared patients begins to fall once aged care and disability packages are more available.
- Whether waiting time reductions in aged care packages lead to fewer hospital discharge delays.
- Whether people needing both aged care and disability supports report smoother transitions (e.g. discharge plans that include both).
- Whether providers in aged care / community disability services are able to meet demand in terms of staffing, home modifications, technology.
- Equity in these effects: are regional, remote, Indigenous populations benefiting equally? Or are they still facing delays?
“Stranded patients” represent a pressing symptom of under-capacity and misalignment in Australia’s health, aged care and disability systems. The upcoming aged care reforms are necessary and promising steps. But unless reforms are synchronised, capacity shortfalls addressed, and supports made accessible, many older or disabled people will remain stuck in hospital longer than needed.
Reducing the number of stranded patients will save healthcare costs, improve lives, and evidence that support systems are working together rather than in silo. The effectiveness of aged care and disability reforms in 2025 will be judged not just in legislation, but in hospital discharge statistics, waiting lists, and everyday experiences of older Australians and people with disability.
