The crisis in Australia's aged care system has intensified dramatically, with new official figures revealing that older Australians are now waiting more than eight months to receive approved in-home care support after their packages are authorised.
Wait Times More Than Double in a Single Year
According to the latest data released by the Productivity Commission, the median wait time between older Australians getting approved for in-home care packages and the support actually starting has blown out to 245 days. This represents a staggering increase from the 118-day median wait recorded in the 2023-24 period, meaning waiting periods have more than doubled within just twelve months.
Assessment Delays Compound the Problem
On top of this alarming development, the median time for older Australians to receive an aged care assessment has also increased significantly. The data shows assessment wait times grew by 22.7% between 2023-24 and 2024-25, rising from 22 days to 27 days. This additional delay at the assessment stage means many vulnerable elderly people are facing prolonged uncertainty before they even reach the approval stage for care packages.
Residential Care Improvements Remain Insufficient
The Productivity Commission report also examined residential aged care services, revealing that while there has been some improvement, significant shortfalls persist. The proportion of residential aged care services meeting total care minute targets increased from 34.0% in 2023-24 to 45.9% in 2024-25. However, this still means that more than half of all residential aged care services are failing to meet mandated care minute requirements for their residents.
Massive Backlog Revealed in Senate Estimates
This concerning data emerges shortly after the Department of Health and Ageing revealed in Senate estimates last year that, as of 31 October 2025, there were 266,352 people waiting for various forms of aged care support across Australia. This massive backlog includes:
- 113,150 people waiting for an aged care needs assessment
- 107,281 people on the National Priority System waiting for a package at their approved level
- 45,921 additional people waiting for a Simple Assessment for the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP)
The combination of these figures paints a troubling picture of an aged care system struggling to keep pace with Australia's ageing population, with vulnerable older Australians facing increasingly lengthy delays for essential support services they have been approved to receive.
