Reforms must stop hospitals becoming boarding houses for the aged

October 29, 2026 — 5:08pm

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Our story of David Witt, trapped in Royal North Shore Hospital for four months because a placement could not be found in an aged care facility, is both tragic and a possible glimpse of the future.

Seventy-four-year old Witt has Parkinson’s disease, and the Herald’s Rachel Rasker reports he left RNSH on Thursday. But since July, he was gridlocked with some 1100 other older patients trapped in NSW hospitals, medically ready to leave but stuck in limbo because there was no room in aged care facilities.

At last count in June, there were 34 stranded patients within RNSH awaiting an NDIS or aged care spot, and 96 across........

© The Sydney Morning Herald