It’s another nail in the coffin for private services with one study suggesting they will cease to exist entirely by the end of the decade.
Private hospital operator Healthe Care has confirmed it will close its maternity wards at Gosford Private Hospital from the end of March next year.
In a statement issued this morning, GPH CEO Stephen Johnston said the decision was driven by several factors, namely a continual decline in demand for private maternity services, an overall decline in birth rates in Australia and insufficient funding.
“We are very aware of the impact this decision will have on the local community and expecting families in particular,” Mr Johnston said.
“Over the past 10 years we have seen a steady decline in the number of local families choosing to have their birth privately, with births falling by close to 40% during that time and forecasts for less private births in the years to come.
“We have now reached the point where it is no longer sustainable for us to continue to operate this service.
“We are committed to supporting our local community and will remain open until Monday 31 March to provide continuity of care for those families who are already booked in to birth with us, [and] we have been working with the local health district to ensure ongoing access to maternity services.”
Women’s health services, paediatric surgery and other paediatric services will still be available at Gosford Private Hospital, with alternative employment opportunities for employment across Healthe Care and within Central Coast LHD being investigated for the 27 staff members currently employed with the maternity service.
Patients currently booked with the maternity service are encouraged to seek advice from their obstetrician regarding next steps for their care in light of the closure.
Across the country, at least 10 private hospitals have ceased their provision of maternity services over the last six years, with providers frequently citing chronic staff shortages of midwives, paediatricians and obstetricians as well as declining demand for services as reasons for the closures.
These include:
- Mater Gladstone Hospital, Queensland – service closed in 2018;
- Knox Private Hospital, Victoria (operated by Healthscope) – service closed in January 2019;
- Sunnybank Private Hospital, Queensland (operated by Healthscope) – service closed in May 2022;
- Epworth Hospital (Geelong), Victoria – service closed in March 2023;
- Cairns Private Hospital, Queensland (operated by Ramsay) – service closed in November 2023;
- North West Private Hospital, Tasmania – closed in December 2023;
- Mater Private Hospital, Redland Queensland – closed in May 2024;
- St John of God Bunbury Hospital, Western Australia – closed in June 2024;
- Sydney Southwest Private Hospital, NSW (operated by Healthscope) – closing on 6 December 2024.
A recent analysis of trends in overall birthing rates and the number of births occurring in private versus public hospitals following the covid pandemic, published by the MJA, revealed the number of births occurring in private hospitals dropped by 22% nationwide between 2012 and 2023, with private maternity units predicted to disappear entirely by the end of the decade.