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🇦🇺 Australia /Health & Science

Closure of Mackay private hospital 'makes everything worse,' GP says

From ABC Australia · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Mackay Private Hospital, a mental health and rehabilitation facility in North Queensland, is closing due to financial non-viability.
  • The hospital, operating for nearly a decade, also housed public patients awaiting aged care or NDIS plans.
  • Local GPs and veterans express concern that the closure will worsen patient care and isolate individuals from support systems.

Mackay Private Hospital, a key provider of mental health respite and physical rehabilitation in North Queensland, will close its doors after nearly a decade of operation. Aurora Healthcare, the national operator specializing in mental health, cited financial non-viability as the reason for shutting down the facility, which opened in the 1990s.

It just makes everything worse.

— Dr. Kerry SummerscalesA local GP specializing in veterans' mental health expressed frustration over the hospital's closure.

The hospital played a crucial role in the region's public health system, accommodating up to 21 public patients who were awaiting aged care beds or National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plans. Aurora Healthcare warned staff and patients of the closure in late March, attributing the decision to rising operational and maintenance costs. All hospital assets, from beds to bins, were sold in early June.

So now we have to send them to Townsville or Rockhampton or Brisbane, we're just further isolating them from their family and their support group?

— Dr. Kerry SummerscalesThe GP questioned the consequences of the hospital closure on patient care and family support.

Local GPs are expressing frustration over the closure, warning it will negatively impact patient care. Dr. Kerry Summerscales, a GP specializing in veterans' mental health who has admitted patients to the 34-bed hospital for years, stated, "It just makes everything worse." She highlighted that the hospital's model, which encouraged specialists to practice privately while also working on its wards, fostered a unique community of care that is now lost.

It's going to be a big loss. It's a very convenient facility.

— Allan BroganA navy veteran described the impact of the hospital's closure.

Dr. Summerscales is concerned that losing this specialized environment will lead to poorer health outcomes. "We're just further isolating them from their family and their support group?" she questioned, noting that patients needing extended respite care will now have to travel to larger cities like Townsville, Rockhampton, or Brisbane. Veterans, like Allan Brogan, who relied on the hospital for physiotherapy, and RSL Central Queensland District deputy president Daniel Peters, who used it for mental health support and group sessions, also voiced concerns about the significant loss of a convenient and vital service hub.

It was my first port of call for my mental health issues.

— Daniel PetersThe RSL Central Queensland District deputy president spoke about the hospital's importance for veterans' mental health.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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