Ramsay Health Care set to close psychology clinics across the country within weeks

Australia Broadcast Center

24-07-2025

Australia's largest private hospital operator has moved to close the majority of its psychology clinics, leaving thousands of vulnerable patients facing the prospect of being left without crucial care.
In a staff meeting earlier this month, Ramsay Health Care revealed it would shut 17 of its 20 psychology clinics across the country by September.
Internal documents sent to staff, obtained by the ABC, state the decision was "not made lightly" and followed a review of the challenges in running a widespread network of clinics, including "rising costs, uneven demand and operational complexity".
One psychologist who works for Ramsay Health Care, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because she is not authorised to speak publicly, said she was deeply concerned about the impact on patient care.
She said patients who were not retained by their current psychologist in a new practice, or picked up by another clinician, would have to find alternative care.
"Clients are being left in limbo because they potentially are going to have to wait a month or two to see their regular psychologist if they are continuing on somewhere else, or they're going to have to start all over again," she said.
"The more clients are going through revolving doors, eventually, they just give up.
"This has been extremely frustrating because I'm trying to advocate for clients and for best client care, but it's like words are falling on deaf ears, they are not taking concerns seriously."
Ramsay Health Care is Australia's largest private provider of psychology services, and its clinics see a range of high-risk patients with various mental health conditions, including young children, for conditions like depression or PTSD.
The provider also runs separate mental health clinics, however they will not be affected by the change.
A briefing note sent to staff said three clinics — in Cairns, Charlestown and Joondalup — would remain open, and it was "exploring the merits" of expanding its existing psychology telehealth services.
But the note said Ramsay Health Care was not "stepping away from mental health care".
"We remain committed to supporting high-quality, accessible services, whether in hospitals, in communities or online," the note said.
"This decision reflects a growing community demand for mental health support that is easy to access, flexible, convenient and connected to other services."
A Health Department review into the viability of the private hospital system, commissioned by the Albanese government and published in summary last year, identified declining mental health services as a major issue.
It noted the sector had raised concerns about access to private hospital psychiatric services, and the difficulty in attracting and retaining psychiatrists prepared to work in a hospital setting.
While the number of Medicare-subsidised psychiatric services increased by almost 20 per cent from 2018-19 to 2021-22, the number of services delivered in a private setting dropped by about 15 per cent over the same time period.
Eminent psychiatrist, and former Australian of the Year, Patrick McGorry said there was a "great risk" the clinic closures would see some patients left without care.
"We already have this access problem, with only 50 per cent of people who have a need for mental health care able to access it at all, and often after long delays" he said.
"This will worsen that situation potentially.
"It'll throw more patients potentially back on a public sector that's severely underfunded at a state level and in crisis in several states.
"So I think this is not a good signal to be sending to the public."
In a statement, Ramsay Health Care said it was reshaping how it delivered community-based mental health support, "to better meet the evolving needs of clients and clinicians".
"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 spokeswoman 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."