Belmont Private Hospital - Carina Heights, Queensland

Fiona S.

What an incredible TDU program. So impressed with all the staff from the wonderful psychiatrists to the dinner ladies. The TDU program is so well thought out and run and is ultimately life changing. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Steven B.

Doctor Walters is an absolute hero. He has healed my best friend and love of my life when he turned his back on TJ he did it with ethical standards of a true Christian and caring doctor with Dr Ravi you have helped him pass through to the other side with faith in his soul something he has kept in his undying heart of true feelings and friendship and people need to keep there one track minds to themselves it's called the privacy Act and the legal fraternity and prosecuting Attorneys it's called treason and purgurey and TJ got privy to the Lord's and Barons code of ethics and TJ will start making calls if he has to he will not allow good hard working people go to jail because workers of big companies in Australia don't know the law or our constitution of Australia or Queensland

Lynda G.

I spent 7 weeks in Belmont Private as an inpatient last year.
I had no real issues with My Doctor, Ward Nurses or any of the Group Leaders. If I could just say, if you ask for day leave, make sure it's been recorded in your notes, otherwise you're not going anywhere!
F Wing Nursing Staff were great, only one seemed to be annoyed about everything.
I did wish that windows could have been opened (perhaps a grille of some kind so you still can't access it and take off. After 7 weeks, even with regular linen changes, it gets very stuffy and stale. Just bugged me. I hate stale smelly rooms.
The Dining Room staff were brilliant. Friendly and accommodating. I thought the food was really good. Great variety.
Not sure anyone wants to be hospitalized ever, but I was grateful for the care I received.

Emma P.

Just recently spent 4 weeks inpatient in the Trauma and Dissociation Unit and I can’t recommend this program enough for anyone with complex trauma and/or dissociative disorders.
The facilitators and the nurses were all so kind and compassionate and were incredibly supportive at times when i was struggling but I also liked that we focused on a safety management plan so that I could become more independent with managing my triggers.
I found the program very informative and structured well, split up with more calmer days so it wasn’t too overwhelming. I learnt so much valuable knowledge, skills and tools. It was really validating to be around others that were going through similar to what I go through. I really liked that that the ward had its own room that all our classes were held in that was also a lounge room/hang out/ safe place that only patients from the ward could use.
This ward is on the newer side of the hospital so my room was nice and fresh with a good view. A lot of the regular programs in the hospital clash with the trauma and dissociation program but I still could make the flex and stretch/pilates classes in the morning which I really enjoyed. Being a vegan there wasn’t too much choice for meals (i recommend bringing in your own snacks/treats if you have dietary requirements) but the majority of the meals I did have were really good. The only reason for the 4 stars not 5 is that there was a couple of incidents that I have discussed privately with the hospital but overall it was a very positive and enjoyable experience for me.

Alex A.

I have been seeing Dr Scott Newman for quite some time now, and i cannot put into words how his work has helped me so far. Dr Newman is very gentle, caring and professional. His side kick Monica also deserves a massive mention. Monica has been the glue that has held me in Dr Newmans care. Nothing is ever too much trouble. Even when i was being treated as an in-patient, Monica was able to help me settle in and fixed a couple of small issues i had.

Belmont for me has been life changing and i have no problems continuing to be treated here.

Thank you Dr Newman & Monica.

Rebecca P.

I spent about two weeks in the BCPND and unfortunately came out in worse shape mentally than when I went in due to mismanagement by psychiatrist. Unprofessional and incompetent at interpersonal communication, appropriate support and discernment regarding patient needs. The Dr I saw was also down right rude and condescending at times. She showed poor time management, and poor communication. I still have flash backs and feel retraumatised by the way I was treated.
The only reason I give it two stars is that the nursing staff were generally quite helpful with my baby, particularly the overnight staff - I couldn’t have gotten my son into such good sleeping habits if it hadn’t been for the gentle and caring support of most of the nurses.
As with any where, there were some personalities that didn’t mesh and there were a few nurses who were a bit condescending and criticised me unduly and lacked the ability to support me when I was amidst a mental crisis. I felt they failed to intervene when I was overwhelmed, would report their observations instead of assisting.
The other thing was that I didn’t understand some of the systems within the hospital which caused some avoidable problems.
Read the guidelines and ask how to do things or you might get in trouble.
Last thoughts, if you have complex trauma, the BCPND will probably not be a good fit for you. If you have post natal depression, you will probably find it’s adequate.

Greel97

Look. I've spoken to a number of people, some with positive experiences with Belmont, and some without. I am not making a conclusive statement as to the hospital's ability to assist you, as evidently it is up to a variety of factors. I am simply recounting my experience. I was at first assigned Balaji Motamarri during an in-patient stay. On my first day there the hospital was totally unprepared on the administrative side of things. I was checking in on a Sunday, which is unusual, but the nurses did not follow proper procedure and I was left waiting for hours. They proceeded to chart my medications incorrectly, resulting in the need to call my psychiatrist late at night to have them correct this. Two days later I met my psych. He asked for my med routine, and made a mistake, resulting in my routine being mismanaged for a second time. He saw me for a sum total of 45 minutes during my stay. He would not say when he would see me. If I was absent from my bedroom he would leave for his next appointment without trying to contact me. This meant I sat in my bedroom all the time, just in case he would arrive. My window was next to a pathway that people outside walked regularly, so I kept the curtains drawn 24/7. I sat in a dark room, on my own, over the week, before I was unceremoniously shuffled home with a simple 'cyclothymia' diagnosis, completely discounting the recorded psychotic episodes I'd had before entering. I saw Balaji once more as an outpatient where, upon my insistence that my issue was more severe, he listed some mood stabilisers and told me to pick one. He did not account for the medications I was currently on, which had their effectiveness reduced by my time on Lamotrigine. I tried booking an appointment with him almost a year later. His office did not pick up. I tried calling every morning at 9:30am for the whole calendar week. Even reception could not answer where he was. One morning I called him and he picked up the phone. "Oh," he said, "I'm packing my things into boxes now. I'm leaving the hospital." This was without informing me, and I was left pinwheeling without a psychiatrist.

I managed to find a second psychiatrist at Belmont some months later: Dr. Melissa White. The reviews at her previous place of practice, Amicus Medical Chambers, had glowing 5 star reviews for every single practitioner... except her. Any review that mentioned her had 1 star and scathing critique. I sometimes pass off negative reviews of medical professionals, as people rarely comment on good experiences, and only on bad ones. Having experienced her, unfortunately it seems these reviews were accurate. I do not think she is 'incompetent', I felt that she focusses too much on psychotherapy instead of actual medicine. We all have therapists, and we do not have the money to see a psychiatrist regularly enough for them to provide effective psychotherapeutic treatment. She insisted I was not bipolar (ignoring my attempts to show her filmed evidence of my psychotic breaks), and that I was simply neurotic. She spoke down to me often, patronisingly implying that I wanted to pursue prescribed ADHD management medication because I 'enjoyed the dopamine' hit, rather than because I wanted to resolve my daily issues with ADHD. Rather than insinuating that I was a drug fiend, it would have been nice for her to perhaps explore other options - non-amphetamine based medications such as clonidine hydrochloride or atomoxetine. I suppose it is easier to view a client as a young, nervous druggie, and to string them along with sessions upon sessions of expensive and aimless psychotherapy and pontification on my sexuality, than it is to think about the complexities of modern medicine and how it might apply to a mixed case. Do I think she did this all maliciously? No. I think this is just her approach to psychiatry, and it seems flawed to me (and another past client of hers that I've corresponded with).

I have since had an inpatient stay at Avive, and the care there has provided me with an updated and stable medication routine. I feel normal now.

Luke D.

Belmont has gotten worse the last 3-4 years.
There’s maybe 4-5 good nurses in f wing and east.
Don’t hold your breathe for any support with nurses or psychiatrist.
Do your research on psychiatrist before you go in.
The kitchen staff and the tms staff is top notch, especially Lisa I think her name is.

I didn’t feel safe in there, I expressed my emotions only to be told by nurses to wait until handover was done.
There are Rules for thee and not for me.
And definitely don’t go here if you have a history of misuse of medications or any drugs, you’ll be targeted and they’ll kick you out over the smallest thing.

This place is all about the $$ and not the care.

Can’t mention the psychiatrists name for legal reasons
But definitely stay away from Dr G
If it wasn’t for me socialising with other patients I would’ve left weeks ago.

Most of the good nurses I know there all burnt out, and Belmont has a high staff turnover rate so what does that tell you.

Also shout out the lance the cleaner, you always make us feel welcomed and appreciated, you do so much for Belmont