Private healthcare giant Ramsay shuts psychology clinics
Ramsay Health Care notified staff of the closure of 17 of its 20 clinics earlier this month.
The three remaining clinics are in the Newcastle suburb of Charlestown, in Perth's northern suburbs, and in Cairns.
'We understand this change might be unsettling and we are working closely with our psychologists to ensure every client is supported and has continuity of care, whether through our existing and expanded Telehealth service or with another trusted provider, depending on what is clinically appropriate,' a spokesperson said.
'This change is part of Ramsay's broader strategy to strengthen how we deliver high-quality, accessible and connected care across hospital, home and virtual settings.'
Only Ramsay's community-based psychology clinics are closing, not its hospital mental health services or inpatient and day programs.
Federal Greens leader Larissa Waters said half of Australians who needed mental health support already could not get it.
'The waiting lists are huge, and so it's devastating to see that a private healthcare operator is going to close down yet more facilities, and where are those people going to go?' she said.
'Health care shouldn't be for profit, and it shouldn't be how much money you've got on your credit card to enable you to get the health care that you need.
'So it's a real shame that profit seems to be driving this outcome that will have a real impact.'
Ramsay Health is listed on the Australian sharemarket and valued at $8.9bn. The company's share price is down 16 per cent over the past 12 months.
In August, Ramsay Health Care reported a nearly triple full-year profit of $888.7m, up from $298.1m the year before. The large return was mostly due to the sale of Ramsay's stake in Ramsay Sime Darby, which owns hospitals in Malaysia and Indonesia.
The financial results gave shareholders an 80 cent dividend per share across the financial year.
'The government should be providing healthcare services as a universal right of all Australians, and it shouldn't be whether or not a private company's profit margin is going to work to determine the outcomes for Australians' access to mental health care,' Ms Waters said.
The 17 clinics are being shut progressively until the final one closes the doors permanently by the end of August.
Four Melbourne clinics are being shut, three in Sydney will close, two in Perth will shut, and single clinics on the Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, the Gold Coast, NSW's Central Coast and Wollongong will close.
'After careful consideration, we are transitioning Ramsay Psychology to a more flexible and sustainable model, which includes the progressive closure of 17 clinics by the end of August,' the Ramsay spokesperson said.
'Three clinics, in Cairns (QLD), Charlestown (NSW) and Joondalup (WA), will remain open to support local needs, maintain key partnerships and pilot more integrated models of care.
'Ramsay Health Care is reshaping how it delivers community-based mental health support to better meet the evolving needs of clients and clinicians.'
The National Mental Health Commission's National Report Card was also released on Thursday, the same day as news of the Ramsay closures broke.
Health commission chief executive David McGrath said fewer and fewer people could afford mental health care.
'We have also seen a steady rise in financial stress and in the proportion of people in
Australia delaying mental health care due to cost in the last four years,' Mr McGrath said in the report.
'Disappointingly, many social factors impacting mental health are not showing improvement (e.g. loneliness and experiences of discrimination) and positive experiences of mental health care have remained stable.'
People were feeling less secluded than in the previous year, the commission found, and more people were getting help now than in 2007.
'However, there is no question there is a long way to go – our younger generations continue to report heightened psychological distress and financial stress and have a much higher prevalence of mental health challenges relative to the rest of the population,' Mr McGrath said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Telegraph
an hour ago
- Daily Telegraph
Penthouse shoots for Sydney coastal suburbs record
It has been billed as the most exclusive and prestigious offering Bondi has ever seen, perched on the oceanfront and connected to the coastline. Meet Pearl Bondi the $150m project just approved for Bondi's peninsula cliffside with north-east aspect, elevation and comprising a clutch of seven luxury homes aimed at established eastern suburbs families and downsizers. And Pearl's creator, top Sydney builder developer Central Element is set to rewrite Bondi's property history with the highly anticipated release of the Pearl Penthouse – the pinnacle of the project. Set to become the coastal suburbs most exclusive and high-end residence to date, with an asking price of $30m, the ultra-luxurious apartment is expected to smash the suburb record. The previous record was $24m in 2022, for Multiplex heir Andrew Roberts' 190sqm apartment in Notts Ave, Bondi Beach. The price equated to $126,000 per sqm. MORE: Waterfront deal falls over, then sells for $2m less The 328sqm penthouse offers four bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms and a 17m east-facing frontage with uninterrupted ocean views. Central Element managing director Nathan Chivas expects Pearl to be popular. 'At its heart is the Pearl Penthouse, the most luxurious and prestigious offering the suburb has ever seen,' Mr Chivas said. 'Every element – from the 17‑metre frontage to the timeless interiors – has been crafted to create a sanctuary that connects deeply with Bondi's coastal energy. 'It's a hidden treasure revealed only to a privileged few and we expect demand for the Pearl Penthouse to reflect the rarity of what's on offer.' Central Element has gathered talented architects, landscapers and interior designers to create Pearl Bondi, which consists of two houses fronting Sandridge St and five apartments cascading towards the coastline with access to Wilga St. Three apartments are whole-floor residences with expansive terraces while the two ground floor apartments will each have a private pool. The Torrens-title houses will also have their own private plunge pools, outdoor entertaining space and wide ocean views. One has, facing north has a traditional layout with bedrooms upstairs while the southern house has the upper level dedicated to living and dining with two balconies capturing the view. The ultra-luxury project has been designed by award-winning architects MHNDU and the homes will share almost 500sqm of landscaped communal space as well as having their own external areas – up to 86sqm. The site is more than 2000sqm in a tightly-held pocket between Bondi and Tamarama with direct access to the coastal walk. Madeleine Blanchfield, of Madeleine Blanchfield Architects, has been engaged to design the interiors of the seven homes. She is well-known and highly sought after in the Eastern suburbs. 'Our design approach for Pearl will be centred on quiet luxury and refined simplicity – using natural materials, light and texture to create homes that feel timeless, grounded and intimately connected to their coastal surrounds,' she said. Materials such as travertine, American oak, Patagonia Pink quartzite and brushed stainless steel are all on the Pearl palette. Kitchens have stone island benches and Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances are included. Construction on Pearl Bondi will begin in the spring of this year and completion is planned for late 2027. Central Element has already broken suburb records in Sydney's east. Last year in Coogee it made a $20m off-market sale for a three-bedroom penthouse at Ballamac House.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Victoria says $776 million treaty negotiations claim ‘cherry-picked', but $308 million spent since 2020
The Victorian government has hit back at 'cherry-picked analysis' that claimed it has spent more than $776 million on treaty negotiations since 2016. The Institute of Public Affairs (IPA), a conservative think tank, on Sunday published analysis of spending items in Victorian government budget documents relating to treaty or 'self-determination' initiatives. The report claimed Victoria had spent $776.2 million on programs related to the development of a state treaty since 2016, with $100.6 million committed in the 2026 financial year alone and $220 million in the first two full financial years following the defeat of the Voice referendum. 'This is cherry-picked analysis from a Liberal Party-aligned think tank,' a Victorian government spokesperson said. 'If you listen to the people directly affected by policies, you get better outcomes — that's common sense. Treaty is about making a better and fairer state for all Victorians — negotiations are underway and we look forward to bringing Treaty to the Parliament.' The government would not confirm the IPA's figures, but noted $308 million had been invested into the Treaty since the 2020-21 budget, according to publicly available annual reports. Analysis of annual reports and budget papers by the Herald Sun put the figure at $382.4 million over the past 10 years. Some of that funding has gone into setting up the Treaty Authority, an 'independent umpire' created by the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria and the State of Victoria to oversee the process. The Herald Sun reported in 2023 that members of the Treaty Authority panel could be paid a salary of up to $380,000 per year plus expenses if they worked full-time. The Victorian government first committed to advancing a treaty with Indigenous Victorians in 2016. Negotiations formally began in November 2024, and Victoria plans to finalise a treaty by the end of the 2026 financial year. Victoria would be the first Australian jurisdiction to negotiate a formal treaty with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. But the IPA said Victorians remained largely in the dark about what a treaty would entail, despite the hundreds of millions of dollars spent and hundreds of meetings held since 2017 in preparation for negotiations. 'Despite the Victorian government spending in excess of $776 million on secret treaty negotiations, mainstream Victorians are none the wiser as to what special rights and reparations it will grant to some Victorians based solely on race,' IPA research fellow Margaret Chambers said in a statement. The report noted that between July 2016 and June 2025, 727 meetings had been held by the Victorian government in relation to the development of a treaty — but just four public statements had been issued and the 'substance of these negotiations remains largely undisclosed'.That number included meetings between First Peoples' negotiating parties and the state of Victoria to negotiate or prepare for Treaty agreements, and meetings with departments to support whole of Victorian government co-ordination and engagement in Treaty negotiations. 'The Victorian government is not being honest and upfront with Victorians about its plan to divide the community by race,' Ms Chambers said. 'With a treaty scheduled to be finalised in the next 12 months, and despite the volume of secret meetings over the past decade, very little is known about what this treaty will entail. 'Any treaty will fundamentally change Victoria's legal structure and will likely require already financially stretched Victorian taxpayers to pay billions of dollars to activists aligned to the Allan government. 'Yet, for a government which operates one of the most sophisticated and well-funded spin machines ever seen, just four statements, totalling 1588 words, have been released on the Allan government's plan to divide Victorians by race.' Recent IPA analysis claimed the monetary compensation, tax relief and litigation which would flow from a treaty in Victoria based on the landmark Yoorrook report would be in excess of $48 billion annually. 'Victorians voted against racial division at the Voice referendum,' Ms Chambers said. 'Jacinta Allan is demonstrating complete and utter contempt for the Victorian people, and our democracy, by pursuing this treaty that will divide and cripple Victoria. 'With all the problems that Victoria faces, the last thing the community needs is a two-tiered legal system where some have special rights and get special government payments. Every Victorian should be treated equally under the law.'
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
You don't need to walk 10,000 steps to benefit from its ‘health benefits'
Ten thousand steps per day has been widely recommended as the standard benchmark for physical activity — but a new study suggests that just 7000 could be enough to boost essential health markers. Researchers from the University of Sydney conducted a review of 57 studies spanning more than 10 countries, which tracked participants' steps and health outcomes. Led by Professor Melody Ding from the School of Public Health, the team looked at how different daily step counts impacted the risk of dying from heart disease and cancer, as well as the risk of developing cancer, type 2 diabetes, dementia and depression, according to a university press release. And it turns out, you may not need as many steps as was first thought. Researchers found that walking at least 7000 steps a day was linked to improvement in eight major health outcomes, including heart disease, dementia and depressive symptoms. 'Any increase in daily steps, even modest ones like 4000 steps, delivers health benefits compared to very low activity levels,' Ding told Fox News. 'When possible, targeting around 7000 steps per day can substantially reduce risks for many chronic diseases and adverse health outcomes. 'Even small increases in step counts, such as increasing from 2000 to 4000 steps a day, are associated with significant health gain.' Higher step counts beyond 7000 may add extra benefits, but the improvement rate slows, she noted. The results were published in The Lancet Public Health journal. In particular, the researchers found that walking 7000 steps a day reduced the risk of death by 47 per cent, almost exactly the same as 10000 steps. That same step benchmark was also linked to a 38 per cent reduced risk of dementia and a 22 per cent reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, both only slightly lower than the benefit of 10,000 steps, the release stated. 'Significant health improvements' were reported when people increased from 2000 steps per day to anywhere between 5000 and 7000. 'Aiming for 7000 steps is a realistic goal based on our findings, which assessed health outcomes in a range of areas that hadn't been looked at before,' said Professor Ding in the release. 'However, for those who cannot yet achieve 7000 steps a day, even small increases in step counts, such as increasing from 2000 to 4000 steps a day, are associated with significant health gain.' For those who are already very active and consistently hitting 10,000+ steps, Ding said, 'keep it up — there's no need to cut back'. The researchers also noted that stepping doesn't need to happen all at once or require intentional exercise. 'Everyday movements count — like getting off the bus a stop earlier or choosing stairs over elevators,' Ding advised. 'Small, incidental bouts throughout the day add up and contribute to health. Embrace opportunities to move more in practical, enjoyable ways.' There were some limitations in the study, the researchers noted. 'For some outcomes, we have a small number of studies,' Ding told Fox News. There are also some study-level biases, she said. 'For example, people who are already unwell will take fewer steps because of their health conditions,' Ding said. 'And while there is an indication that the dose-response may be different for older adults, we didn't have enough data for all outcomes to explore it.' It's also important to note that while walking offers great health benefits, it is not a complete 'package' in itself, she noted. 'Everyday movements count — like getting off the bus a stop earlier or choosing stairs over elevators,' Ding said. 'Try to also incorporate strength training and mobility exercise into a weekly routine for more complete health benefits.' In next steps, the researchers plan to use these findings to shape future physical activity guidelines.
