Hospital based care 25 March 2021

First designs of four new acute mental health facilities released

Designs for four new acute mental health facilities in St Albans, Parkville, Epping and Geelong have been released.

The designs include impressions of the exteriors, grounds, gardens and internal fit outs. The design of each facility has been carefully considered to create a safe, welcoming, and healing atmosphere for consumers on their treatment and recovery journey.

Each facility includes:

contemporary designs and innovative safety features
internal courtyards for relaxation and exercise
family visiting areas, sensory rooms and spiritual rooms.

Carers, clinicians, staff, and consumers with lived experience of the mental health system have co-designed the facilities, ensuring they meet the needs of the people who will be visiting and working in them.

About the new acute mental health facilities

The four new facilities will support Victorians experiencing acute mental health in inpatient and community settings. They will be located at four Victorian public hospitals:

52 beds at Sunshine Hospital - Furlong Rd, St Albans
30 beds at Northern Hospital - 185 Cooper St, Epping
22 beds at Royal Melbourne Hospital - 300 Grattan St, Parkville
16 beds at McKellar Centre - 45-95 Ballarat Rd, North Geelong.

Once complete, the new facilities will provide an extra 43,000 days of hospital-based care. This will expand the mental health system to be able to support an additional 2,500 people year.

The program will deliver over 1,450 jobs during construction and are expected to be progressively completed by 2023.

The Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System

The four new acute mental health facilities are being prioritised in response to a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System.

The Victorian Government is investing $492 million to develop the new facilities. This is part of a $868.6 million commitment to ensure Victorians have the mental health support they need, closer to home and meet increasing demand for services.