The NSW government is rolling out virtual specialist geriatric care for people aged 65 and over as it looks to reduce avoidable hospital admissions and support earlier discharge.
The Virtual Specialist Geriatric Care service will provide specialist support to older people in their homes and forms part of efforts by NSW and the Commonwealth to expand alternatives to hospital care.
NSW is also expanding its Aged Care Outreach Services to provide short-term multidisciplinary care at home and help avoid unnecessary hospitalisations.
The initiatives come as NSW hospitals face growing pressure from patients who are medically ready to leave hospital but are waiting for Commonwealth-funded aged care or NDIS placements.
In the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, 133 patients were waiting for aged care or NDIS placements, including 19 at Wollongong Hospital, nine at Shoalhaven Hospital and 29 at Shellharbour Hospital.
Across NSW, the number of patients waiting in hospital for these services increased from 1065 at June 30, 2025 to 1355 at June 30 this year, an increase of 27.2 per cent.
The NSW government has also allocated $35.7 million to an Aged Care Response Package targeting discharge delays for older people.
The state said increased use of alternative pathways to hospital care had coincided with improved emergency department performance.
It has invested $124 million in expanding virtual care for urgent care services, alongside more than $500 million in emergency department relief.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the number of patients waiting in hospitals for Commonwealth aged care and NDIS placements was growing at an “unprecedented and unsustainable level”.
“Waiting indefinitely in a hospital is not good for patient mobility, recovery or quality of life,” he said.
“Despite these challenges, we are continuing to see progress in emergency department wait times which has coincided with a significant investment from the Minns Labor Government into ED relief.”
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