Bentley Family Clinic closure: 120 young people forced to seek mental health treatment elsewhere

More than 100 young people managing significant mental health difficulties will no longer have access to their local treatment clinic after it was announced the service was closing.

Patients of the Bentley Family Clinic were told last month the clinic was shutting up shop at the end of September, and that the 120 current patients would have to seek treatment outside the Bentley catchment.

The closure is to make way for construction of the $200 million-plus Bentley Health Service Surgicentre, with patients to be split between Midland, Murdoch and Armadale.

It means families would have to travel an extra 13-20km to receive treatment.

The Health Services Union of WA raised the alarm in a newsletter to members, revealing there had been a “suitable location” identified in the catchment area, but that it was not funded.

“Some families have shared concerns that their child may need to stop treatment due to the inability to travel to the other clinics,” it said.

“Clinicians are deeply concerned about the impact of this decision on the children and families in the area.”

Closure of the facility at such short notice led to shadow youth minister Adam Hort raising the matter in parliamentary question time on Tuesday.

“Will the minister confirm that despite a suitable location being identified for the BFC, funding to re-establish the service was not provided?” Mr Hort said.

Mental Health Minister Meredith Hammat said the State Government was “very focused” on ensuring young people have “access to appropriate care and appropriate support”.

“In relation to the Bentley Family (Clinic), the relocation is part of a project to ensure that we’re able to undertake works to expand services related to the East Metropolitan Health Service, and in particular the delivery of the commitment to build a (surgicentre),” she said.

But Ms Hammat could not commit to a timeline on when services would return to Bentley.

“For a temporary period of time, services will be available at Midland, Armadale and Murdoch with telehealth available for those where they need to access it, and the service will return when a suitable site where that work can be conducted is located.”

It remains unclear whether the three clinics will have the capacity to manage the extra patients, but it’s understood the roughly 25 staff at BFC will also be spread across the locations.

CAHS has been contacted for comment.

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