Concerns women will 'fall through the cracks' when mother baby unit closes

Concerns have been raised that women with complex mental health issues will be left without adequate care when the mother-baby unit at the Royal Hobart Hospital is closed and replaced with a new facility. The current unit, governed by the Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Service, supports mothers with low-to-high mental health challenges, including bipolar disorder and postnatal psychosis.

However, staff have been informed that the replacement Intensive Residential Parenting Unit (IRPU) will only cater to mothers with low-to-moderate postnatal depression and anxiety. The IRPU, run by the Child and Health Parenting Service, has a smaller team of child and family health clinicians with no specialized mental health training.

With the closing of the current unit, health workers and advocates fear that some women will fall through the cracks and not receive the support they need. The IRPU will have one psychologist and no in-house psychiatrist, unlike the current model of care. Union secretary Emily Shepherd has expressed concerns that the new model of care does not replicate what was offered at the previous St Helens Private Hospital.