Media release – Jeremy Rockliff, Minister for Health, 9 May 2023
Government to establish Mother and Baby Unit
The Tasmanian Liberal Government will step in and establish a dedicated Mother and Baby Unit within the public health system, following Healthscope’s decision to close the St Helen’s Private Hospital in Hobart.
The Mother and Baby Unit will be located at the Royal Hobart Hospital’s Ward K6 Transition to Home Unit in the West Wing of the new K block.
The new service is expected to be operational by mid-June – ahead of the closure of the St Helen’s Private Hospital at the end of June – to ensure continuity of care for those utilising the service.
The Unit will provide three dedicated public beds in a separate, nurturing environment, offering holistic support, education and services to help families navigate the challenges of parenthood.
The paediatric ward at the RHH, located in the East Wing, will also continue to provide vital services to care for infants, and we are working to streamline admission processes to ensure they are seamless and stress-free for families who require care.
The public Mother and Baby Unit will accommodate mothers experiencing psychiatric conditions such as postnatal depression and anxiety.
Other admissions – for example, those who are experiencing physical maternal exhaustion and those who are experiencing physical issues such as feeding and settling – will be accommodated in the RHH paediatric ward and other alternative settings that can provide a more home-like atmosphere.
Premier, Minister for Health and Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Jeremy Rockliff, said that the Government recognised the importance of the service to Tasmanian families.
“We know how vital the Mother and Baby Unit is for Tasmanian families which is why we have worked hard to find a solution to ensure that mothers and their infants who need it can access this type of care and support in the most appropriate setting,” Premier Rockliff said.
“While we are disappointed by Healthscope’s decision to close St Helen’s Private Hospital, we are taking all proactive steps to minimise the impact on patients, and continuity of care for those using the service is an absolute priority for us.
“We are working with Healthscope and health unions to develop a staffing and governance model for the new service to ensure those staff who wish to work within the public health system following the closure of St Helen’s Private Hospital are given the opportunity to do so.
“As a government, we are committed to providing mothers and their infants with a suite of healthcare options to best meet their needs, and the establishment of the Mother and Baby Unit within the RHH is just the starting point.”
The Tasmanian Health Service is continuing to work with other non-government providers to meet the impact of this closure on other mental health services, including TMS, ECT, alcohol and drug treatment inpatient services and day programs.
We will continue to update Tasmanians as we work through our plan to ensure continuity of services.
Media release – Anita Dow MP, Shadow Minister for Health, Mental Health and Wellbeing, 9 May 2023
Detail needed on Mother Baby Unit and mental health beds
More detail is needed about the Rockliff Government’s plans to provide a dedicated Mother and Baby Unit at the Royal Hobart Hospital.
While the announcement is a good start for the many families that use the service, three publicly funded beds is clearly not enough to cater for the entire state – and doesn’t even come close to replacing what has been lost.
On the day the St Helen’s Private Hospital announced the closure of this service, Premier Rockliff was focused on his funding announcement for a billion dollar stadium in Hobart.
After 10 years in Government the Liberal Government has failed to prioritise maternal and mental health services, which has led to the Government scrambling following St Helen’s shock announcement to close.
Labor urges the Rockliff Government to commit to rolling out public Mother and Baby Unit beds across Tasmania to ensure there is equity of access.
The Premier and Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing also must outline his plan to provide continuing access to the mental health beds that will be lost at St Helen’s Private Hospital.
Media release – Rosalie Woodruff MP, Greens Health spokesperson, 10 May 2023
Liberals Refuse to Act on St Helens Closure
In Parliament this morning the alleged Health Minister, and Premier, refused to look into purchasing the St Helens building or taking over the services it operates, despite the soon desperate service gap when the private business closes.
There are thousands of people on St Helens hospitals’ books. These are patients who rely on its critical and lifesaving services to continue with day to day life.
The Greens moved in Parliament that the Government investigate the purchase of St Helens Private, and take its services into the public health system. The Liberals blocked this move and instead amended our motion to remove any action to retain the services.
This says everything about Jeremy Rockliff and what his government intends to do – hand wring and nothing else.
This is the terrible reality of a part-time Health Minister, who’s actually a full-time footy-spruiking Premier.
The thousands of patients on St Helens books need its services to heal and survive. What will they, and the many, many more still waiting to get seen, be doing after June 23? There is nowhere else to go for long-term mental health and drug recovery, therapy groups, and almost all of its TMS treatment.
If the federal Labor and state Liberals can get together to fund a billion dollar stadium Tasmanians don’t want or need, why can’t they help secure the lifesaving services at St Helens?
