South Australian hospital patients could soon find themselves staying in hotels as the government attempts to ease pressure on the state's health system.
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00:00From the wards right down to the ramp, South Australia's hospitals are full, which could soon see patients shifted to hotels.
00:08And the state government says that's because aged care patients are getting stuck in hospital beds.
00:13It's a real problem affecting states around the country is these blockages in federal aged care.
00:18Bed block is one of the many long term problems facing the state's health service, but it's one Chris Pickton hopes to solve in the short term.
00:25Releasing a tender for a subacute health facility to house up to 25 outpatients and relieve pressure in hospitals.
00:33But what we're talking about is people who don't need to be in hospital anymore.
00:37People who have been cleared by doctors saying they're ready to leave hospital but have nowhere to go.
00:43The bulk of those patients are expected to be in aged care, with the health minister revealing that 273 beds in SA hospitals are taken up by those ready to be moved to aged care facilities.
00:54The contract lasts for a year with an option for another 12 months.
00:58But both government and medical staff see this as a temporary measure.
01:02Certainly wouldn't want to see it as a long term solution.
01:05The long term solution is to increase our capacity for aged care.
01:10A similar facility has been in operation on the Gold Coast for more than a year with one floor of a local hotel housing lower acuity patients from local hospitals.
01:20We want this as soon as possible and we'll wait to see what responses we get.
01:23SA's health minister hopes to replicate that program as soon as October.