Media release – Healthscope, 20 February 2025
Healthscope announces intention to close maternity services at Hobart Private Hospital
Healthscope today announced it intends to stop offering maternity services at Hobart Private Hospital from 20 August 2025 due to ongoing workforce challenges.
This difficult decision was made after a long and thorough review of the operational viability of the service.
Despite concerted efforts over the past 12 months, including local and national recruitment campaigns, Hobart Private has been unable to recruit any new appropriately qualified midwives to work in the maternity ward.
This has led to the hospital flying in and accommodating up to six full time agency midwives, representing up to half of the midwives needed to staff the ward, to maintain a safe service for families in Hobart.
Unfortunately, despite the efforts of the Hobart Private team, it’s become unviable to continue operating the service in this manner.
Healthscope Victoria/Tasmania State Manager Chris Hewison said, “this decision is one we wish we didn’t have to make.”
“We have looked at a range of options to maintain the maternity service and worked very hard to recruit the full-time midwives we need,” Mr Hewison said.
“Unfortunately, these efforts haven’t secured the workforce we need and has made maintaining a stable and reliable maternity service increasingly difficult.
“This decision in no way reflects on the professionalism and dedication of the Hobart Private maternity team who have provided an outstanding maternity service for local families.
“We will be working closely with our impacted people to explore redeployment opportunities at Hobart Private Hospital wherever possible, including offering skills retraining. We’ll also support with securing positions at other Healthscope facilities or assisting them to find roles in other local health settings.
“Our priority now is to ensure continuity of care for expectant parents and to assist our dedicated healthcare professionals who have been providing exceptional care,” Mr Hewison said.
Hobart Private Hospital will be accepting its last maternity admissions on 13 August 2025, with the service proposed to close on 20 August 2025. Expectant parents due to give birth prior to 13 August will not be impacted by this decision and will still receive the high-quality care Hobart Private Hospital prides itself on.
For families due after this date, Hobart Private will work in partnership with their treating obstetrician to ensure a safe transfer of their maternity care to other providers.
Media release – Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation Tasmanian Branch (ANMF), February 2025
ANMF TO SUPPORT MIDWIVES WITH HOBART PRIVATE ENDING MATERNITY SERVICES
The Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation Tasmanian Branch (ANMF) will today reach out to our Midwifery members at Hobart Private Hospital following the decision by Hobart Private Hospital to end the delivery of Maternity Services.
The confirmation comes after ongoing speculation that the maternity service delivery would be removed following suggestions that workforce shortages were causing service disruptions.
However, the ANMF believe that this decision follows on from the decision to close the former Mother and Baby Unit at the previous St Helens Hospital due to poor revenue.
“It is disappointing that yet again Healthscope have put profit over patient care and sadly it is women and babies that will again be most affected with a reduction in maternity care options for women in the south of the state,” ANMF Tasmanian Branch Secretary Emily Shepherd said.
This announcement follows similar announcements in the Northern Territory, where the ANMF (Northern Territory) has been navigating and passed on earlier this week that it was informed Maternity Services were being closed by Healthscope in Tasmania as well.
The ANMF has been in contact with the Department of Health, which has advised it has been in touch with Calvary with respect to the possibility of meeting some of the demand for private services as well as considering how this will impact on the Royal Hobart Hospital.
“The ANMF has asked that an expansion of the Midwifery Group Practice be considered in order to support many of these women who likely would meet the admission criteria as another option for women who are contemplating care options,” Ms Shepherd said.
“The Department has committed to meeting with all key stakeholders once a withdrawal date for the service is known.
“We will now focus on providing support to our members at Hobart Private Hospital, many of whom have been long standing midwives at Hobart Private Hospital.”
Ms Shepherd said the ANMF has sought a meeting with Hobart Private Hospital management to discuss future options for our members once maternity services are no longer delivered.
“It is ironic this decision comes amid a joint select committee on reproductive, maternal and child health exploring the challenges and barriers that women and their children face in accessing health care and services in Tasmania.
“This is another disappointing blow for women in the south of the state removing more options for women to birth with now limited private options.
“It is also a reminder that we cannot rely on outsourcing critical health care to private providers, particularly when contingencies will be difficult to implement and likely disadvantage the individuals who required these services.
“The ANMF is committed to continuing to advocate for its members at Hobart Private Maternity in what will no doubt be a tumultuous period for them all.”
Media release, David O’Byrne MHA, independent for Franklin, 20 February 2025
Statement from David O’Byrne on the closure of Hobart Private Hospital Maternity Services
Healthscope is letting Tasmania down badly, first by closing down St Helens, which robbed us of our only mother baby unit and removed important mental health inpatient beds from our health system.
The loss of the maternity unit at Hobart Private, where hundreds of babies are born each year, is another bitter blow.
Healthscope are behaving atrociously by failing to communicate early about these changes, which would have allowed the government and/or other operators to step in.
The Government must pull out all the stops to provide certainty to families.
It is clear that this will have a profound impact on the provision of pregnancy care, maternity services and women’s reproductive health care.
This decision casts doubt on the future of the Hobart Private Hospital site.
But it does present an opportunity for the Government to return the former Queen Alexandra to public hands and establish a dedicated public women’s hospital.
Media release – independent MHR for Clark, Andrew Wilkie, 20 February 2025
CLOSURE OF HOBART PRIVATE MATERNITY WARD DREADFUL BUT LIKELY JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG
Independent Member for Clark, Andrew Wilkie, said the closure of Hobart Private’s Maternity Ward is a dreadful turn of events. Its high-quality service gave mums choice and reduced the pressure on the Royal Hobart Hospital.
“While I seriously doubt whether the State Government genuinely tried to engineer some kind of rescue plan, the Federal Government’s concern with the viability of the hospital is very ominous,” Mr Wilkie said. “It’s well-known that Healthscope is in dire financial strife nationally and Hobart faces the very real prospect of the Private being shut down entirely.
“All of this is an extraordinary wake-up call for the Tasmanian Government to stop relying so much on the private hospitals and start prioritising funding for the Royal. That the Government clearly has so many other ridiculous priorities is all the evidence we need that it is completely and utterly useless and not fit to govern.”
Media release – Jacquie Petrusma, Minister for Health, 20 February 2025
Statement on Healthscope maternity services
The Tasmanian Government has received formal notice from Healthscope of its intention to cease providing maternity services at Hobart Private Hospital.
Healthscope is required to give the Department of Health six months’ minimum notice of any operator service change, meaning the earliest Healthscope can stop their service is late August 2025.
Minister for Health, Jacquie Petrusma, said the Tasmanian Government is disappointed that Healthscope has made this commercial decision and called on the Federal Government to step up and do more to support private hospitals across the State.
“We understand this news would be concerning to those who may be affected, and we encourage Healthscope to provide detailed information to the community as soon as possible,” Minister Petrusma said.
“Our Government stands ready to work with the Federal Government, key stakeholders and private providers such as Calvary Healthcare to support the additional requirements in capacity for birthing services in southern Tasmania.
“With support from the Federal Government, we believe, alongside Calvary, that an increase of maternity service capacity at the Royal Hobart Hospital and Calvary Lenah Valley can be managed.
“However, private hospitals across the country raised the alarm last year about their viability, and instead of taking action to resolve the situation, the Federal Labor Government chose to walk away and do nothing.
“This means once again, the state is stepping in where the Federal Government has failed and they need to step up, do their job, and fix this urgently.
“The drop in financial viability for private hospital maternity services nationally can only be addressed by the Federal Labor Government.
“It is also the Federal Labor Government’s jurisdiction to determine remuneration rates between private insurers and private hospitals.
“Our number one priority is ensuring mothers and babies have the appropriate support and services they need during their birthing journeys.
“Importantly, I would also like to reassure midwives and other maternity services staff currently working within the Hobart Private Hospital that we will work with them and health unions to assist those who wish to continue working in Tasmania following the cessation of services at the Hobart Private Hospital.”
Media release – Kristie Johnston, independent MHA for Clark, 20 February 2025
Reax … Healthscope Ends Maternity Services Hobart Private Hospital
“I am devastated to hear this news and I understand there will be significant concern in the community about what this will mean for expectant parents and babies.
“I also feel deeply for the staff impacted by this decision.
“It will put an enormous, unsustainable load on other providers.
“The Health Department needs to immediately reassure mothers and families impacted by this decision that they will get the quality, woman-centred, continuity of care they require at this time important time.
“It is not good enough for the State Government to respond by pointing the finger at the Federal Government.
“That is not what women and the community need to hear at this stressful time. They need support and solutions.
“I understand that about 600 babies are delivered each year at Hobart Private,” Kristie said.
Media release – Ella Haddad MP, Shadow Minister for Health, 20 February 2025
Maternity ward closure a devastating blow to women’s health
The imminent closure of the Hobart Private Hospital maternity ward is a devasting blow for women’s health in Tasmania.
For pregnant women accessing services at the HPH right now, to hear this in the news would be incredibly devastating and destabilising.
With understaffing remaining a massive issue, maternity services in Tasmania’s public hospitals are already stretched to the limit, and this decision will only increase pressure on the system and lead to worse outcomes for patients.
Access to maternity services is a state government responsibility, and the Rockliff Government must step up to ensure Tasmanian women can continue to have access to safe maternity services across the state – not attempt to point fingers and shift the blame.
This includes taking decisive action on the recommendations put forward by the recent report into Maternity Services at the Royal Hobart Hospital, several of which related to adequate staffing levels and practices.
As Chair of the Parliamentary Committee into Reproductive, Maternal and Paediatric Health Services in Tasmania, which is hearing evidence today, we are hearing about how challenging maternity services are in the state. This closure is a massive blow that will be felt across the system. The Committee has today agreed to ask Healthscope to appear before the committee at our next hearing.
Our thoughts are also with the midwives and other health workers whose jobs could be impacted by this decision.
Media release – Dr Michael Lumsden-Steel, President of the Australian Medical Association (AMA) Tasmania, 20 February 2025
WOMENS RIGHTS OVER FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY FOR PRIVATE OBSTETRIC CARE
Today’s Healthscope announcement regarding the closure of maternity services at the Hobart Private Hospital is no surprise with the AMA warning two private services were not sustainable in Tasmania for some time.
This closure now leaves only one remaining private maternity unit for the entire state of Tasmania, with the public hospital system providing the north and northwest obstetric services.
We have expressed concerns that two services are not viable for the southern Tasmanian private patient population due to extreme pressures on midwife staffing, the solution must be focused on training, attraction, and retaining more midwives and to fund maternity care properly.
We must also consider the role private health insurers play in the cost of health care, and how the insurers pay for the health care that the private hospitals deliver, with the cost of supporting private obstetric care not sustainable in many centres due to the current insurer shortfalls. This needs to be urgently addressed, and the Tasmanian AMA is calling on all Federal politicians to ensure that women’s health is valued and funded to meet both the demand and the costs.
The requirement for women to have Gold Tier or above private insurance makes it unaffordable for many women which further compounds the problem.
The birthing unit at Hobart Private Hospital delivers approximately 600 babies annually. Private birthing facilities ensure safe and effective maternity care, provide options for expectant mothers, deliver specialist obstetric care and play a significant role in reducing the pressure on the public system.
Tasmania is seeing a growing trend of essential private service closures or the withdrawal of planned projects, including the mother and baby unit at St Helen’s Private Hospital. These closures are already placing added strain on our public healthcare system.
There is no denying that running a modern private obstetric practice involves significant costs, including providing 24/7 coverage at hospitals, offering extensive support services throughout the pregnancy journey, and maintaining a multidisciplinary care approach.
Midwife shortages and the need to employ locum midwives also impact the public’s costs of maternity health care.
Late last year, the AMA proposed building a new acute hospital within 5-10 minutes of the current site. At the same time, this would allow the current Royal Hobart Hospital to become a dedicated Women’s and Children’s public and private hospital as well as a elective surgery facility. Merging all maternity services into one modern site with dedicated women’s health services and redesigned clinics would enhance efficiency, improve patient care, and help attract and retain obstetric specialists and midwives.
The model of having a private maternity ward, run by a private provider, located at the same site as the public maternity ward in Hobart needs to be taken seriously and looked at strategically.
Although a new hospital is a significant investment, given that yet another private hospital resource for Tasmanians seeking healthcare has been removed, it is becoming increasingly clear that this is a necessary step for the long-term health of Tasmania’s population.
Media release – Cecily Rosol MP, Greens Health Spokesperson, 20 February 2025
Hobart Private maternity services closure deeply concerning for mothers and babies
Reports that the Hobart Private Hospital will close its maternity services from 20 August are deeply concerning. The Rockliff Government must reassure the community by outlining their plans to ensure that mothers and their babies can receive the care they need at the remaining maternity services.
The Hobart Private Hospital provided vital maternity care, delivering 600 babies a year. Expectant mothers in the community who had planned to deliver at the hospital will rightly be concerned about accessing the care they and their babies need.
It’s deeply disappointing that the Hobart Private Hospital has decided to close its maternity services due to ongoing workforce challenges. It’s yet more evidence that the Rockliff Government has not been doing enough to attract midwives to Tasmanian hospitals.
It’s very worrying that the public maternity services may be completely overwhelmed by the increase in patients. This has serious implications for mothers and their babies, and the care they receive when they need it most.
The public Hobart Hospital’s maternity services are already stretched. While midwives are doing their best to care for patients, they’ve reported that the staffing levels are already unsafe for mothers and babies, who need more frequent and tailored care.
This is yet more evidence that the Rockliff Government cannot continue to rely on private entities to provide the vital healthcare that Tasmanians need. The Liberal Government must reassure Tasmanians as to how the remaining maternity services will be supported to cope with this increase in demand, providing the vital care needed to Tasmanians.
