Intuition Private has announced plans to expand its obstetrics and gynaecology practice at North Gosford in response to an increased demand for health services on the Central Coast.
Director of Intuition Private Dr Peta Skilbeck said that while the national birth rate was in decline, the Central Coast region was bucking the trend with an almost 15 per cent increase since 2016.
The Coast’s fertility rate sits at 1.98, the highest rate since 2015.
At the same time, Australia is facing significant public surgery wait lists, pushing female patients to seek private gynaecological health care.
The two-suite clinic, located at Gosford Private Medical Centre in Jarrett St, North Gosford, was opened in 2016 to accommodate women looking for a premium healthcare experience on the Central Coast.
Over the past eight years, the business has gone from strength to strength, as more young professionals vacate the overpriced Sydney suburbs and relocate to the more affordable Central Coast.
Skilbeck said that while Australian mothers were generally starting their families later and having fewer babies, the more educated and affluent demographic was opting for more premium care.
“What we’re increasingly seeing is Central Coast mums choosing quality over quantity when it comes to growing their families,” she said.
“These women have been in the workforce longer than their forebears; they are more educated, more affluent and with this, they have firm preferences on the level of premium care they want during their pregnancy.”
Exactly 4,046 newborns were welcomed on the Central Coast in 2022 (the last census data was updated in 2023), 525 more than when the Intuition Private clinic opened in 2016 (or an increase of close to 15 per cent).
The area’s fertility rate sits at 1.98 (in 2022), the highest rate since 2015; that’s approximately one baby born every two hours within the local government area.
“This change in demographic is driving a greater demand for private healthcare on the Central Coast and we’re seeing that through our enrolments for pregnancy care,” Skilbeck said.
Not only is the practice facing a baby boom, it’s also approaching what health experts are dubbing the “grey tsunami” – a huge bubble of an ageing population.
These patients are languishing on lengthy public waiting lists for much-needed gynaecological procedures that are deemed “elective”, because they’re not deemed an emergency.
Elective surgery waiting times were at the highest level in 20 years during 2022/23, as public hospitals worked to catch up following pandemic-related delays.
Both insured and non-insured patients are now turning to the private healthcare system for procedures such as cancer-related hysterectomies, cervical cell excisions, painful endometriosis scar tissue removal and other life-altering conditions.
“Like much of the Australian health system, we’re quite literally bursting at the seams, so our expansion into a third suite could not come soon enough,” Skilbeck said.
“While Intuition Private has always prioritised patients first, their employees have also been a major priority during the planning of the current renovations.
“It’s important for our highly valued doctors, nurses, educators and administrators to feel as though they’re receiving the very best employee experience.
“We’ve had our 23 team members very much top of mind when designing our new spaces.”
The newly renovated clinic is expected to be complete in August and will include two additional consulting rooms, a new procedure room and a larger staff kitchen and storeroom.
It will also feature a reconfigured and reimagined patient reception area that maximises natural lighting.