RANZCP homepage
Closing a practice overview
Closing a private psychiatric practice is a major stage in a psychiatrist’s career. Making the decision to close up and the very process of closing can be challenging. The former often involves considerable contemplation while the latter can require both personal and organisational resource allocation and support. Closing a practice involves addressing a range of professional and legal responsibilities, including upholding a duty of care for patients with ongoing and acute mental health conditions.
Section 4.16 of the Medical Board of Australia’s Good medical practice: a code of conduct for doctors in Australia, states:
“When closing or relocating your practice, good medical practice involves:
- Giving advance notice where this is possible.
- Facilitating arrangements for the continuing medical care of all your current patients, including the transfer or appropriate management of all patient records. You must follow the law governing health records in your jurisdiction.”
Resources for closing a private psychiatry practice
In light of the complexity of issues involved in closing a practice, the RANZCP has prepared resources for its members who are in private practice to support and guide them in what they will need to think about and/or do when they decide to “close up”.
Checklists:
- Closing a private psychiatric practice [MS Word; 25 KB]
- Personal action plan for transferring/discharging patients [MS Word; 18 KB]
Templates:
- Practice staff and service provider contact list [MS Word; 20 KB]
- Professional/clinical associations contact list [MS Word; 19 KB]
- Record of patients’ health disposition [MS Word; 18 KB]
Information sheets:
About this information
For enquiries about this information, contact policy@ranzcp.org.
Disclaimer: This information is intended to provide general guide to practitioners, and should not be relied on as a substitute for proper assessment with respect to the merits of each case and the needs of the patient. The RANZCP endeavours to ensure that information is accurate and current at the time of preparation, but takes no responsibility for matters arising from changed circumstances or information or material that may have become subsequently available.
