Toowong Private Hospital is shutting down, creating an immediate impact on thousands of patients. This innovative institution was the bedrock of psychiatric care in Queensland, offering crucial dedicated care and services. The community hospital serves over 10,000 patients per year. It has been a critical tool for patients struggling with major mental health issues such as depression and PTSD. The closure is attributed to a decline in admitting psychiatrists and the hospital’s untenable financial position, reflecting a troubling national trend in mental health care.
Dr Josh Geffen, a psychiatrist who has served 25 years at Toowong, is clearing out his office. He’s just one of many professionals similarly impacted by the recent regulatory changes. This facility is notable for being Queensland’s first and only private psychiatric hospital. It offers intravenous ketamine treatment for their inpatients who are fighting chronic, often severe, depression. As the hospital moves to close, patients are now stuck facing unknowns about where they will receive care in the future.
The unexpected announcement of the closure of Toowong Private Hospital is creating major gaps in the ongoing provision of mental health care in southeast Queensland. Queensland Health are very focused on ensuring patients transfer effectively. Finally, they are playing a crucial role in actively connecting patients with other private mental health facilities and community services. Yet the denials leave countless patients worried about what treatments they’ll be able to access in the future.
Declining Psychiatric Services
The biggest issue behind the imminent closure of Toowong Private Hospital is the admitting psychiatrists market collapse. This trend is part of a larger shift occurring across Australia. Increasingly, specialists are choosing private clinics as they can find better paid work there than in hospitals.
As more psychiatrists opt for private practice, hospitals like Toowong struggle to maintain adequate staffing levels, ultimately leading to financial difficulties. The stakes have sadly never been higher, driving a treasured institution to close its doors for good.
“Very unwell people are going to have less access to care. They’re going to finish up ramped in emergency departments.”
In recent years, the private health insurance industry has come under fire for putting profits over patient care. Brett Heffernan, a health policy advocate, highlighted the detrimental effects of this trend:
This situation largely created the conditions that led to Toowong’s financial collapse and bankruptcy, as well as its subsequent closure.
“Over the last three years, the private health insurance industry has been engaged in rapacious profiteering. They’ve banked more than $2 billion a year in record profits while they’ve short-changed hospitals to the tune of more than a billion dollars a year.”
“We are so proud and fortunate that Toowong Private Hospital has been a safe haven for so many patients in their darkest days. Kerrie Czernia, one of the last inpatients at the facility, expressed her concerns about the transition:
Patient Experiences
Having been admitted to Toowong four times, Czernia called it a life-saver. Uncertainty about what her care will look like in the future makes it hard to know what quality care she’ll be able to find outside.
“There is that worry, there’s that anxiety, stress, you know, where are we going [now]? What are we going to be given?”
Likewise, Cain Chambers, a man who has fought with both PTSD and severe depression, read a letter he wrote on Toowong’s closure. He shared his raw experience of relapsing this year and how he was re-admitted to Toowong to receive the necessary care. For him, the hospital’s resources were invaluable:
Chambers emphasized the unique support offered at Toowong and noted that there are no facilities comparable to it.
“I probably wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for Toowong.”
As Toowong Private Hospital prepares to close, Queensland Health has pledged to prioritize continuity of care for patients during this transition period:
“There’s nowhere else that’s the same, that I can get to.”
A lot of patients still feel fearful about what is to come. The closure that looms on the horizon leaves many questions about where they will get care, and who will care for them. Chambers voiced this anxiety when he asked his psychiatrist:
“I would love for someone to save it. I’d like to know that if I had to go back into hospital, I’d be back in Toowong.”
Future of Mental Health Care
This growing concern reflects a larger issue within the healthcare system. A shortage of accessible mental health resources. Hospitals are continuing to face increased fiscal pressures paired with staffing shortages. As this continued trend persists, more patients will feel forced to go to emergency departments in moments of crisis.
“The continuity of care for the patients is Queensland Health’s priority; we are also resourced to provide suitable care if required.”
Secondly, the closure of Toowong is a sobering indication of the persistent issues in Australian mental health care. Without targeted intervention and reform, vulnerable people will continue to end up in life-altering circumstances with insufficient help to navigate them.
“The first thing I asked was, where am I going to go now?”
This growing concern reflects a larger issue within the healthcare system: a shortage of accessible mental health resources. As hospitals face increasing pressures from financial constraints and staffing shortages, patients may find themselves relying on emergency departments during crises.
The shutdown of Toowong serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges within mental health care in Australia. Without necessary interventions and reforms, vulnerable individuals may find themselves in precarious situations without adequate support.
