• The Liberals will provide 500 additional transitional care beds, reducing pressure and improving patient outcomes.

• Allocate $275 million over four years to ensure both hospitals and forward care can better meet demand.

• Ensure Western Australians have the opportunity to receive quality and timely care in WA’s hospital system and beyond.

• Freeing up beds for new admissions, easing pressure on emergency departments, and improving overall patient flow.

A Mettam Liberal Government will increase healthcare funding by $275 million to fund 500 transitional care beds, easing the pressure on the entire healthcare system, and allowing hospitals to focus on acute care and discharge patients into other forms of care.

Under this increased funding arrangement, these beds will be provided where they are needed most, including in long-term support, aged care, and rehabilitation facilities, to free up beds in other sections of the health system.

“Across WA, patients are waiting – for care, for an ambulance, for a specialist, for a bed, and, mostly, for targeted investment in our hospital system,” said Libby Mettam, WA Liberal Leader and Shadow Minister for Health.

“Addressing the issue of extended hospital stays is a critical step to delivering the healthcare system WA deserves, and the introduction of 500 new transitional care beds will do just that.

“By adding beds where they’re needed most – aged care, rehabilitation, disability support, complex care – we will ensure that more West Australians get the dedicated support they need, and more patients can receive timely care in hospitals and emergency. “This is about putting the well-being of West Australian patients first and ensuring they get timely care when it’s needed, across the entire health care system.”

In 2022, an Auditor General’s report found that moving 486 long-stay patients waiting for NDIS and aged care services to more appropriate settings could allow up 14,000 more people to access a hospital bed. This follows an extra 40,000 days spent in hospitals during 2022 for patients waiting on NDIS or aged care.

“It is appalling that Labor has allowed the backlog of NDIS, aged care, and other transitional care services to blowout, leaving many Western Australians in hospital longer than was needed,” Ms Mettam said.

“This is not just about ensuring there are alternative options for patients to expensive hospital beds, but also about more appropriate options for low-needs patients.

“Clearing bed block across the health system Australia-wide could save anywhere from $800 million to $2.17 billion per year, and WA needs to be a big part of that.

“These beds will save our hospitals and save West Australian patients.”

WA Liberal Candidate for Riverton, Amanda Spencer-Teo welcomed the announcement, saying Roger Cook’s broken health system was a major issue locally.

“I regularly hear from constituents about the issues they face in accessing the level of healthcare they expect in Western Australia,” said Ms Teo.

“This funding will help more Western Australians get the assistance they need, when they need it most.

“Our Building a Better Future blueprint outlines our priority for Fixing Our Health system, and this is a foundational element that will allow us to do that.”