From 1 September 2026, Mount Lawley Hospital is officially part of Western Australia’s public health system.
The former St John of God Mount Lawley Hospital is now operated by East Metropolitan Health Service and will be known as Mount Lawley Hospital. The transition brings the 196-bed hospital into the public system. This is a real increase of 118 beds as some beds at Mount Lawley were already being used for public patients before the transition.
If you are already receiving care at the hospital, the most important message is that you do not need to do anything differently right now.
The advice from East Metropolitan Health Service is that patients can continue attending existing appointments and receiving treatment as planned.
What happens to existing appointments?
Existing appointments should continue as planned. If you are due to have a follow-up outpatient appointment after 1 September, East Metropolitan Health Service will coordinate your care as a public patient at Mount Lawley Hospital. You should receive an appointment letter confirming the date, time and location. Your referring GP will also be notified where relevant.
If you have a private specialist appointment scheduled, please contact the specialist’s rooms directly to confirm the consulting location before your next appointment.
What services will Mount Lawley Hospital provide?
The hospital will provide public services including:
- general medicine
- rehabilitation and geriatric care
- older adult mental health services
- outpatient care.
The hospital also has operating theatres and other surgical capacity that will become part of the public system.
Will I have to pay?
If you are being treated as a public patient, the usual arrangements for treatment in a WA public hospital apply.
If you are unsure about possible costs, your patient status or whether your existing treatment arrangements have changed, ask Mount Lawley Hospital or East Metropolitan Health Service before your appointment.
It is OK for you to ask, or double check:
- Am I being treated as a public patient?
- Will I have any out-of-pocket costs?
- Has anything changed about my existing appointment?
- Do I need a new referral?
- Who should I contact about follow-up care?
What if I already have a referral?
East Metropolitan Health Service says follow-up outpatient care after 1 September will be coordinated through the public system, with patients receiving updated appointment information where required.
If you have an existing referral and have not heard anything, do not assume your appointment has been cancelled.
Check with the hospital or the clinician that referred you (which could be your GP) if you are unsure.
Why has the hospital become public?
The Government says bringing the hospital into the public system will increase public hospital capacity, particularly for people living in Perth’s eastern suburbs. Buying an existing hospital facility means a reduction in the amount of time required to have the beds and the services available for public patients.
Around 450 existing healthcare workers are also transitioning to East Metropolitan Health Service.
What should patients watch for during the transition?
Over the coming weeks, if you have appointments in an East Metropolitan Health Service (which includes Royal Perth Hospital, Midland Public Hospital, Armadale Hospital, Bentley Hospital, Kalamunda Hospital and now Mount Lawley Hospital) you may want to pay particular attention to:
- appointment letters and changes to appointment details
- referrals and whether they have transferred correctly
- whether you are registered as a public or private patient
- unexpected bills or fees
- changes to where they receive follow-up care
- communication between the hospital and their GP
- delays or cancellations related to the transition.
If something does not look right, ask.
You have the right to receive clear information about your healthcare, including what services you are receiving, what they may cost and what happens next.
What if something goes wrong?
If you experience a problem with an appointment, referral, bill or your transition of care, contact Mount Lawley Hospital or East Metropolitan Health Service first and ask for clarification.
Keep copies of appointment letters, referrals, bills and other information you receive.
If you are having difficulty resolving a healthcare problem [refer people to the HCCWA website in the first instance] and would like independent support, Health Consumers’ Council WA provides a free individual advocacy service for health consumers in Western Australia.