Aged care is the last place the ACT Labor-Greens government should be putting vulnerable hospital patients, Shadow Health Minister Leanne Castley said today.

“Aged care staff are not trained to look after hospital patients, it is completely inappropriate and irresponsible,” Ms Castley said.

“We know aged care is in crisis and this is nothing more than a desperate government shifting responsibility for patients in its care, and saying they are no longer our responsibility.

“The Health Minister has provided no information about what supports are being provided to aged care homes which are under enormous pressure.”

Ms Castley also pointed out the high number of Covid deaths in aged care homes.

“Aged care is the last place the government should be putting hospital patients,” Ms Castley said.

“To palm them off to aged care is atrocious when this mess is all the government’s making due to their failure to properly fund and manage our health system.

“If the government considers aged care appropriate now, why hasn’t this been done before?”

Ms Castley called on the Minister to answer the following questions:

1. How many patients have so far been moved to aged care homes?
2. How long will this continue?
3. What is the nature of their illnesses and how long will they stay?
4. Who will care for them in aged care homes?
5. What if patients or their families do not want to go into aged care?

“Most importantly, the Minister must explain why the 50-bed Garran Surge Centre is not being used to treat and accommodate patients, which is what it was built for,” Ms Castley said.

“The government allocated $23 million for the Surge Centre, and we are experiencing a surge in Covid cases, meaning the Surge Centre is nothing more than a hugely expensive White Elephant.”