Western Australia still hundreds of hospital beds short

Media Release | 24 February 2026

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Libby Mettam

Shadow Health Minister

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Shadow Health Minister Libby Mettam said the story of a Perth grandmother waiting

days in an Emergency Department overflow ward for hospital transfer, after being

diagnosed with a brain tumour, is a devastating example of a health system pushed

beyond its limits.

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Ms Mettam said all West Australians would be shocked and deeply concerned to hear

that a patient requiring brain surgery was left waiting days in a ward that staff at Royal

Perth Hospital reportedly described as ‘the dungeon’.

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“This is the predictable result of years of under-investment in workforce and

infrastructure and of system-wide mismanagement by the Cook Labor Government,”Ms

Mettam said.

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She said the Health Minister Meredith Hammat’s announcement today of an extra 200

hospital beds was inadequate.

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“Current estimates, based on the Government’s own 2023-24 official bed numbers,

show that some 740 beds are needed in WA hospitals right now just to bring Western

Australia up to the national average of 2.5 beds per 1000 people,” Ms Mettam said.

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“Without extra beds in the system now, no plan can possibly mitigate the chaos that the

start of the flu season is going to bring in the coming months.

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“WA’s hospital system should already be properly resourced and prepared. It should not

require emergency top-up funding each year just to cope with predictable winter

demand.

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“The Government’s announcement this morning is a spin exercise that largely dresses

up existing expenditure as a winter flu plan.

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“I call on the minister to clarify exactly where the new expenditure is.”

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Ms Mettam said families expected that when someone presented at a hospital with a

serious condition, the system would respond quickly and safely.

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“We heard today from Katrina talking about the horrific experience her mother Jill had

when presenting to Royal Perth Hospital Emergency Department and being stuck in an

unsuitable area that staff call ‘the dungeon’,” she said.

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“Patients being stuck in queues and inadequate waiting areas repurposed as wards

while our dedicated clinicians work under relentless pressure is not a failure of staff — it

is a failure of leadership and resourcing.

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“The responsibility for today’s system sits squarely with the Premier Roger Cook and

Health Minister Meredith Hammat.

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“Western Australians deserve confidence that when they or their loved ones need life-saving treatment, the system will be ready — not make them wait and worry.”

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MEDIA CONTACT: Graham Mason | 0419 194 79

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