Supporting long stay patients back into the community can deliver better patient outcomes whilst also freeing up hundreds of hospital beds for those who need acute care.

These patients have complex care needs. To transition out of hospital, they can require a range of supports including residential accommodation, physiotherapy, psychosocial support and community-based nursing care. 

That’s why the Cook Labor Government has invested almost $100 million in supports for complex patients to return to the community, including an additional 120 aged-care beds to help transition older patients out of hospital, a long-stay patient fund, and more respite beds for patients who are medically fit for discharge but need temporary residential care.