Mental Health Beds Expansion Program – The Royal Melbourne Hospital

At the Royal Melbourne Hospital, the Mental Health Beds Expansion Program delivered:

• an acute mental health facility with 22 single person bedrooms with ensuites
• a sensory room
• de-escalation rooms
• internal courtyards
• multi-functional rooms
• spiritual rooms
• staff and family lounges
• treatment rooms.

The Mental Health Beds Expansion Program aimed to achieve the following benefits:

More acute mental health beds

Increased capacity to provide timely and improved access for people experiencing mental illness who require immediate treatment, in a contemporary, safe, and high-quality setting.

Contemporary mental healthcare

The facility provides a welcoming and responsive environment designed to support both consumers and staff. Each room features contemporary design as well as innovative safety features. The building features several internal courtyards as well as enclosed garden areas that integrate with the leafy surrounds to provide a secure area to enjoy greenery and fresh air.

The new facility features modern physical spaces which support recovery. It looks and feels less hospital-like and people using the facility have access to a range of shared internal spaces for social, therapeutic, and recreational activities.

Experience-led design process

People with a variety of views and perspectives were engaged throughout the design process to inform the facility and service designs. This included people with lived experience of mental illness, such as consumers, families and carers, as well as medical, nursing and allied health professionals and other staff.

Jobs for Victorians

The Royal Melbourne Hospital project created and sustained around 237 construction industry jobs.

Implementing recommendations from the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System

The additional acute mental health capacity was urgently delivered in response to the critical need identified in the interim report from the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System.

Why do we need more acute mental health beds?

The Victorian Government is responding to a recommendation from the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System Interim Report through the urgent delivery of more acute mental health facilities and services.

These services will address critical demand issues by increasing capacity, reducing pressure on emergency departments, and providing additional support for people experiencing mental illness who require immediate treatment. More acute mental health beds and services will mean more access for people experiencing severe mental illness, taking the pressure off other public health services.

Where is the new mental health facility located? 

The new 22 bed acute mental health facility is located at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, 300 Grattan Street, Parkville.

It is located on a new floor which extends from the John Cade Building and connects to adjacent buildings.

What level of care is provided?

Increased hospital-based care is provided for people experiencing mental illness who require immediate treatment in a contemporary, safe, and high-quality hospital setting.

Who is supported by these new services?

Severe mental illness affects a range of people from different family, cultural, economic and social backgrounds. The new facilities and services provide people with better access to mental health services and support and reduce pressure on emergency departments.

The new facility at the Royal Melbourne Hospital provides people aged 18 years and over with better access to mental health services and support and reduces pressure on emergency departments.

What is different about the new hospital-based facilities?

The new facilities were designed with input from people with lived experience of mental illness such as consumers, families and carers, as well as medical, nursing and allied health professionals and staff. The facilities look and feel less like a hospital and provide access to shared internal and outdoor spaces for social, therapeutic and recreational activities to support consumers’ changing needs throughout their stay.

When did construction begin and end on the new mental health facility at The Royal Melbourne Hospital?

To meet the critical need and the timelines set by the Royal Commission, innovative new construction methods were explored to significantly reduce the traditional building time and provide flexibility for current and future health care.

Construction of the new facility at the Royal Melbourne Hospital began in 2021 and was completed in early 2024.

What health service provider manages the mental health facility at The Royal Melbourne Hospital?

The mental health facility at the Royal Melbourne Hospital is managed by Melbourne Health and NorthWestern Mental Health.

The Royal Melbourne Hospital is one of the largest hospitals in Victoria and provides a range of services across two campuses, including general and specialist medical and surgical acute services as well as sub-acute services. More information on The Royal Melbourne Hospital can be found on their website.

NorthWestern Mental Health deliver a comprehensive range of specialist community and hospital-based mental health services for youth, adult and aged people who are experience, or are at risk of developing, a serious mental illness.

More information on NorthWestern Mental Health can be found on their website.

This project was delivered by the Victorian Health Building Authority in partnership with:

• Mental Health Reform Victoria (MHRV)
• Melbourne Health
• NorthWestern Mental Health
• NTC Architects (principal consultant)
• NH Architecture
• Lendlease Building (managing contractor).