A growing shortage of aged residential care beds on the West Coast has been described as a failure of the health system, with patients unable to access care and hospitals under increasing pressure.

Aged Care Association Chief Executive Tracey Martin said the issue showed aged care must be treated as a core part of New Zealand’s health system.

Over the past decade, the Buller District has lost 54 aged care beds following the withdrawal of Health New Zealand from service provision in Reefton and Westport.

The region has one of the oldest populations in the country, with 26.3% of residents aged over 65.

The shortage is now being felt across the wider health system.

O’Conor Home in Westport has 20 people on its waiting list, including eight already assessed as requiring residential care but unable to access a bed locally.

With no available capacity, older people are either remaining in hospital or leaving their communities to receive care elsewhere.

In one recent case, an older person nearing the end of their life spent more than a month in a hospital Assessment, Support and Rehabilitation Unit because no aged care bed was available and they could not return home.

“These are people who have been clinically assessed as needing care. When there is no aged care bed available, they don’t stop needing care, they stay in hospital, or families are left to manage complex health needs at home,” Martin said.

The shortage is also placing pressure on hospitals and emergency services.

“We have providers who are shovel ready to build and expand beds,” she said.

“But unless aged care is treated as core health infrastructure, and funded accordingly, those beds will not be built and hospitals will continue to carry the cost.”

Martin said the association was calling on the Government to establish a dedicated aged residential care infrastructure fund.

“If aged care is health care, then it must be planned, funded, and invested in as part of the health system,” she said.

“Right now, we are seeing the consequences of not doing so. People are stuck in hospital beds, families are under pressure, and communities are losing the ability to care for their own.”

“This is not a future problem. It is happening now, and it is entirely fixable.”