Bethesda Health Care will take over operation of Mount Hospital in Perth’s CBD under a deal brokered by the WA government.
The news follows the current operator, Healthscope, entering receivership in May last year.
WA Premier Roger Cook announced on Thursday morning that the government had been working with receivers McGrathNicol and Bethesda to keep the hospital open.
Under the deal, the hospital will continue its operations, with existing staff to be offered jobs with Bethesda.
Bethesda will officially take over the operations at the hospital from the second half of this year.
The hospital was previously operated by Healthscope, which went into receivership last year.
Treasurer Rita Saffioti said the government was pleased to work with Bethesda to ensure the private hospital, along Mounts Bay Road in Perth’s CBD, had a future.
“We know that this hospital plays a key role in surgery, such as orthopedics and in general surgery, and was also part of having our last largest critical care unit,” she said.
“It is a 173-bed facility which employs over 500 staff.
“Since Healthscope went into receivership in May 2025, we know there has been a lot of concern about the future of this hospital.”
In a statement, Healthscope chief executive Nicole Waldron said the transition was a positive step for the hospital, its patients and its staff and doctors.
“We are very proud of Mount Private and the outstanding patient care the team provide day in and day out,” Waldron said.
“However, we felt that moving the hospital under local stewardship was the best course of action for the hospital, its staff, and the community it serves.”
Bethesda chief executive Neale Fong said the company looked forward to working with Mount Hospital’s specialist doctors to see their work continue.
“We have a high reputation for teamwork and excellent patient outcomes and combining our services will be an exciting time ahead,” he said.
The state’s peak nurses’ union said the deal would ensure additional capacity in the state’s hospitals as winter approached.
“The ANMF WA has long been advocating for the government to play a role in securing the Mount’s long-term future, so I am pleased to see them facilitating this deal and continuing to invest and facilitate investment in WA hospitals and their workers,” State Secretary Romina Raschilla said.
Opposition health spokeswoman Libby Mettam said while the Mount Hospital deal was a step in the right direction, there is an opportunity for a better, more coordinated approach when it comes to elective surgeries in the state.
“Not an ad hoc approach, but a more coordinated approach, ensuring a commitment for elective surgeries when they are reaching the clinically or the medically recommended time frame,” Mettam said.
“We’ve just been through a budget process, and while the Cook Labor government have committed to providing some financial support for this contract, as well as the public elective surgeries, we don’t know what the details are.
“The media statement provides no details of the costings associated with this deal that has been undertaken with Bethesda Hospital.”
Mettam added that the deal was another example of the state government working with old hospital facilities rather than investing in new infrastructure.
“We know the Labor government can’t build hospitals after almost a decade,” she said.
“They haven’t built a single hospital, and their best bet is purchasing private beds off the public sector or claiming the future of private beds being a win for health.
“We need to see the Cook Labor government do much more when it comes to shifting the dial in health, particularly around elective surgeries, as well as bedlock, which is crippling our hospital system.”
