Waiting lists for places in continuing care units are increasing, as is the time patients spend waiting for a vacancy.
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Read today’s briefingPatients in the Greater Lisbon area currently face an average wait of 369 days for a spot in a long-term care unit. As of the end of 2025, nearly 2,000 people were on the waiting list for admission to the national continuing care network.
A study by the University of Porto's Faculty of Economics highlights that public funding for the National Network of Integrated Continuing Care (RNCCI) consistently falls below actual operational costs. The deficit per user per day in 2025 reached up to 17.61 euros in long-term units, and projections for 2026 suggest this gap will continue to widen due to rising personnel costs and inflation.
A study from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Porto concludes that State funding for the National Network of Continuing Care (RNCCI) is insufficient to cover operating costs. The report suggests changing the current financing model to prevent the financial viability of participating institutions from being compromised.