The national waiting time for residential aged care blew out to 68 days in 2014-15, up from an average of 45 days in 2013-2014 according to latest figures from the Productivity Commission.

The longest waiting time is in the ACT, where the average wait for care is 137 days, followed by the Northern Territory with 132 days.

Waiting times also grew for home care, with almost 42 per cent of people waiting over three months after being approved during 2014-15.

Addressing the National Press Club in Canberra last week, Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) President Paul Sadler (pictured here right with Ian Yates, Chief Executive COTA Australia; Lee Thomas, Federal Secretary Australia Nursing & Midwifery; and Kathryn Murphy, Political Editor, The Guardian Aust & Director National Press Club) said it was “unfathomable” the system makes the elderly wait an average of 68 days after they have been assessed. That is over two months.

“Our aged care system is a lottery because it is not based on demand but an arbitrary number of places per 1000 people over 70,” he said. “There is a cap on delivery of services, no matter how urgently people need them.”