Federal Member for Perth Patrick Gorman has avoided questions about whether he's advocating for more aged care funding for Western Australia after pointed calls from the premier. Aged care providers say more beds are urgently needed to take pressure off EDs amid unprecedented demand on hospitals this week.
00:00Aged care providers like Southern Cross Care know first hand the pressures facing WA's health system.
00:10It's really challenging for the sector at the moment.
00:12We're in the middle of a really tough flu season.
00:15A lot of our residents are getting unwell and they need to visit ED.
00:19Ms Greeveson heeding advice from WA's health boss, Dr Shirley Bowen,
00:24to have care plans in place for residents happy not to go to EDs.
00:29After an unprecedented surge of arrivals on Monday of older patients amid a worse than usual flu season.
00:36But providers say more aged care beds are needed to get those waiting in EDs out.
00:42Southern Cross Care facilities are completely full.
00:45So we don't have any available beds and the demand is particularly high in Metro Perth.
00:51Aged care continues to be a pressure point.
00:54Premier Roger Cook pointedly called on Canberra this week for more funding
00:58while the Federal Government insisted it's already investing record amounts.
01:03Western Australia does not receive its fair share of either home care packages or aged care beds.
01:09We'll continue.
01:13We are already working on investing in aged care across Australia.
01:18I have advocated and you can go back and look over a period of time for more investment in aged care.
01:25The Premier will lobby the Albanese government for more aged care funding when he's in Canberra next week.
01:31Likely highlighting the current strain on WA's hospitals that's fuelling an elective surgery backlog.
01:39The health department confirmed a further 27 elective surgeries were rescheduled today after around 25 yesterday and 80 the day before.
01:49Each day we work to manage the pressures, we manage the system and ultimately those decisions are made by the health service providers and we've got to have confidence that they are doing it well.
01:59Managing pressures that only seem to be growing.
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