Aged care crisis: Roger Cook under $1 billion pressure as Federal government delay fix for WA hospitals

Roger Cook has been ambushed with a $1 billion funding plea from aged care providers, after returning from meetings in Canberra without any concrete promise from Anthony Albanese to help ease pressure on the WA health system. The Premier told the Prime Minister that an aged care shortage is leaving about 300 older patients stranded each day, taking up hospital beds even though they are fit to be discharged. He was touring a new transitional facility in High Wycombe on Wednesday when aged care builder Hall and Prior’s chief executive Graeme Prior made a blunt request for more funding. With the Premier standing beside him at a press conference, Mr Prior urged him to find more cash to make up the current shortfall. “We’re under-capitalised, we’re underfunded in this State,” he said. “Premier Cook did take to the electorate of WA at the last election, he promised to fund 500 new concessional beds and put $100 million as a down payment for that. “My advice to the Ministers and Premier Cook, sorry, but you need to do that every year for the next 10 years.” Mr Cook responded: “Great” and laughed, but later maintained aged care is a Federal Government responsibility. “I’ve never come across an opportunity where Graeme hasn’t missed the opportunity to remind me about how we need to continue to support his great industry,” he said. “We’re doing everything we can . . . and I always take his advice on board.” Pressed on the $100 million a year request, the Premier didn’t rule it in or out. “Let us look at getting the first tranche of that $100 million package going,” Mr Cook said. “It’s a really important way that we can support the aged care sector through that loan facility to make sure that we can commercialise their opportunities much easier, much more effectively and, as a result of that, grow the number of concessional aged care beds.” He met Margaret Herd, who will be celebrating her 83rd birthday next week, in one of 11 new “Time To Think” beds in High Wycombe that have been funded by a $4.9 million State Budget boost. The great-grandmother moved in on Tuesday night, after a fall landed her in hospital. “I take one day at a time! There are (other) people who really need these beds. “I was told it was very, very tight and I was lucky.” Mr Cook returned to Perth, after meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra on Tuesday, with hospital over-crowding due and a shortage of aged care high on the agenda. The State Government has asked for Commonwealth grants to fund aged care capital works, and for Home Care packages to be fast-tracked, but only received a commitment for more meetings. Health Minister Meredith Hammat and WA Aged Care Minister Simone McGurk also met with their Federal counterparts, to request an urgent funding boost. Both struck a more diplomatic tone on Wednesday, after previously expressing “frustration” over the Federal Government’s response. “We did, I believe, get a fair hearing,” Ms McGurk said. “The discussions will continue now. That’s not to kick the issue down the road, it is to say that we don’t get everything that we want in one meeting. But we are determined to get a good outcome for older West Australians and their families.” Federal Aged Care Minister Sam Rae has agreed to visit Perth, in about a fortnight, to see how an estimated backlog of 8,000 Home Care Packages is impacting hospitals. Ms McGurk has also requested Commonwealth grants to boost capital works for more residential beds. “It’s estimated that by 2029 or 2030 we will need in Western Australia about 2800 more beds than we’ve got now,” she said. “So that’s about 28 new large home care facilities. In 2023-24 there were nine new facilities built in Australia. So that starts to give you some perspective on the sort of pressures on us. “And while this is funding and regulatory responsibility of the Federal Government, the State Government is stepping in to engage with the aged care providers.”