Chronic health conditions are claiming more than 5100 lives every year in the Hunter region, a grim statistic experts warn is set to escalate as Australia's population ages and the Medicare system shows its age.
Record Hospital Strain and Soaring Bed Days
An analysis of national data reveals a staggering burden on the local health system, with more than 200,000 hospital admissions annually in the Hunter linked to chronic diseases. Hospitals are grappling with a rising tide of patients presenting with multiple, complex conditions.
This pressure is quantified by a record-breaking number of 246,049 "bed days" recorded in the Hunter New England Local Health District during the July to September quarter. This figure, the highest on record, indicates patients are requiring longer hospital stays to manage co-occurring health issues, a situation exacerbated by the rising cost of seeing a doctor and widespread GP shortages.
Calls for Systemic Reform and Collaborative Care
University of Newcastle Professor Jennifer Martin, who is also President of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP), highlighted the critical role of major hospitals like the John Hunter Hospital as hubs for specialist care. However, she pointed to severe delays in the public system.
"Patients choosing public care through outpatient clinics are often waiting months, sometimes years, to get the treatment they need," Professor Martin stated.
She called for new funding commitments from both federal and state governments to sustain and expand outpatient services. This must be paired with a nationally coordinated health workforce strategy to direct physicians to areas of greatest need.
"We need to move towards more collaborative care for patients," Professor Martin emphasised, advocating for better coordination between physicians, GPs, and allied health professionals. "We need targeted funding from governments and reforms to Medicare that support physicians working with other health professionals."
The RACP has thrown its support behind government investment in bulk-billed specialist clinics to alleviate the intense pressure on hospitals and their outpatient departments.
A National Challenge of Scale and Inequity
The issue extends far beyond the Hunter. Approximately 16 million Australians – 60 per cent of the population – live with at least one long-term health condition. This prevalence skyrockets to 94 per cent for those aged 85 and over.
Common chronic conditions include:
- Back problems, anxiety, and depression
- Hearing loss, asthma, and arthritis
- Type 2 diabetes, dementia, and cardiovascular diseases
- Cancer
In a federal budget submission last November, the RACP warned that access to physician care is profoundly inequitable across the country. This inequality disproportionately impacts people with complex chronic conditions, regional and rural communities, and Indigenous Australians.
The submission noted a critical shortage of physicians and trainees in many areas, which in turn places unsustainable pressure on already overstretched GPs and hospitals. Data from 2023-24 showed almost one-third of people waited longer than they felt acceptable for a specialist appointment, with worse outcomes for women, younger adults, people in disadvantaged areas, and those with existing long-term conditions.
Federal Health Minister Mark Butler acknowledged the scale of the challenge in November, identifying chronic disease as the nation's "big public health challenge." He specifically highlighted diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and mental health upon announcing the establishment of an Australian Centre for Disease Control.
Echoing the need for systemic change, Royal Australian College of GPs President Dr Michael Wright said this month that Medicare was "designed to fund the kind of care patients needed 40 years ago."
"It hasn't kept up with patients' growing need for long consultations and mental health care," Dr Wright said. "Patients who live with chronic conditions, especially those in less-advantaged areas, report their GP can't spend enough time with them."
The converging pressures of an ageing population, a strained Medicare system, and workforce shortages paint a concerning picture for the future of chronic disease management in Australia, with regions like the Hunter already feeling the acute effects.
