IRT opens new aged care beds on the NSW South Coast to help ease hospital bed block

RT has today brought online 12 additional residential aged care beds at its Basin Shores Residential Care Home in St Georges Basin as part of its ongoing response to growing hospital bed block across the Illawarra and Shoalhaven.

The 12 beds have been self-funded by IRT, with rooms refurbished and ready to welcome new residents immediately.

The investment comes as the region continues to face significant pressure from older people remaining in hospital after they are medically ready to leave because an appropriate aged care placement is not available.

Data from the NSW Health Minister’s office indicates that as of March 31, 2026, there were 166 stranded patients across Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District hospitals awaiting aged care or NDIS placements.

IRT Executive General Manager – Aged Care Services, Nia Briguglio, said bringing additional beds online quickly was one practical way IRT could help respond to the immediate challenge.

“Once an older person no longer needs acute hospital care, a hospital bed is not the right place for them to be waiting for weeks or potentially longer,” Mrs Briguglio said.

“They deserve to be somewhere designed to support their care, dignity and quality of life – and at the same time, our hospitals need those beds available for people who are acutely unwell.

“That’s why we’ve made the decision to invest our own funds to bring these 12 beds online at Basin Shores now. They won’t solve bed block on their own, but every additional bed creates another pathway out of hospital and into the right care.”

The Basin Shores beds form part of a broader push by IRT to increase aged care capacity across the Illawarra and Shoalhaven.

The community-owned organisation has a further 48 new residential aged care beds under construction at Unanderra Gardens Residential Care Home, supported by a $15.8 million grant under the Australian Government’s Aged Care Capital Assistance Program. The new beds are expected to become available from early 2027.

In July, Minister for Health and Ageing the Hon Mark Butler also announced IRT would receive $4.6 million in government funding to bring a further 11 beds online across its Edgewood Gardens, Woonona Place and Tarrawanna Court Residential Care Homes.

Together, these initiatives will add 71 residential aged care beds across IRT communities in the region.

Mrs Briguglio said addressing hospital bed block would require sustained investment across the health and aged care systems.

“Bed block is not simply a hospital problem. It is a symptom of capacity constraints across the broader health and aged care system,” she said.

“There is no single solution. We need more residential aged care beds, sufficient support for people to remain safely at home for longer, and stronger coordination between hospitals, aged care providers and government so older people can receive the right care, in the right environment, when they need it.

“The pressure we are seeing today will only grow as our population ages. We need to be responding to the immediate challenge while building the capacity our communities will need in the years ahead.”

The Australian Government has identified the Illawarra as one of four priority areas for investment in additional residential aged care capacity, citing significant supply constraints, unmet demand and delayed hospital discharges.

IRT’s response and investment extend well beyond the beds currently being delivered.

Over the next decade, the community-owned provider is progressing a major property pipeline that will deliver around 1,000 new homes for seniors, including approximately 270 residential aged care beds.

The pipeline represents a significant long-term investment in increasing housing and care capacity across IRT’s communities, supporting more older Australians to access the right home and care as their needs change.

“The pressure on our hospitals is real today, but the bigger challenge is what comes next,” Mrs Briguglio said.

“As our population ages, we need to be building capacity now – and IRT is committed to investing in the homes, care and services our communities will need for generations to come.”