Hospital based care 14 February 2023

New state-of-the-art mental health facility at Northern Hospital now complete

Construction of the new mental health facility at the Northern Hospital in Epping is now complete.

Once open, residents of Melbourne’s northern suburbs will be able to access immediate mental health treatment in a contemporary, safe setting.

The new facility responds to a key recommendation from the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System. It will allow an extra 655 Victorians to get the acute care they need each year.

The multi-million-dollar project, funded through the $801 million Mental Health Beds Expansion Program, has delivered:

an acute mental health facility with 30 single person bedrooms with ensuites
a sensory room
de-escalation rooms
internal courtyards and enclosed garden areas
multi-functional rooms
spiritual rooms
staff and family lounges
treatment rooms.

Northern Hospital Mental Health Beds reach practical completion

Accessible video transcript

IMAGES: View of the hospital façade, followed by an aerial view of hospital

ONSCREEN TEXT: Construction is complete on the new 30-bed acute mental health facility at Northern Hospital

IMAGES: Birds eye view of hospital roof with solar panels, followed by time-lapse view of the hospital under construction, with a crane lifting materials into the hospital

ONSCREEN TEXT: As part of the Mental Health Expansion Program, this facility was built using modular construction and consists of 240 modules, delivered over 52 days

IMAGES: Internal courtyard garden with plants.

ONSCREEN TEXT: Take a look inside

IMAGES: View of hospital hallway, followed by sunlit room with TV and large windows.

ONSCREEN TEXT: Featuring treatment and multi-purpose rooms, staff and family lounge,

IMAGES: View of basketball court in internal courtyard, followed by upwards shot of sky from basketball court.

ONSCREEN TEXT: internal courtyards and garden areas.

IMAGES: View of internal courtyard garden with plants and sitting areas, followed by external view of hospital.

ONSCREEN TEXT: all areas have been designed to provide a safe, welcoming and healing environment

IMAGES: Birds eye view over hospital, followed by aerial circling shot of hospital within the larger surrounding complex, with roads and other facilities.

ONSCREEN TEXT: Once fully operational, the new facility will provide more than 10,900 days of care to an estimated 655 people each year

IMAGES: The closing slide is the Victorian Health Building Authority logo, the web address vhba.vic.gov.au and the Victorian State Government logo.

End of transcript. 

Experience-led design to deliver contemporary mental healthcare

The facility was designed in consultation with people who have lived experience of the mental health system. This included consumers, carers and staff.

The result is a safe and welcoming environment for people experiencing acute mental health concerns. The facility looks and feels less like a hospital and provides access to shared internal and outdoor areas for social, therapeutic and recreational activities.

The new facility at Northern Hospital has been built using a modular construction solution. This involved the installation of 240 modules over just 52 days.

About the Mental Health Beds Expansion Program

The Mental Health Beds Expansion Program is a $801 million investment to deliver 260 new acute public mental health beds.

These services will address critical demand issues by increasing capacity. This will reduce pressure on emergency departments, and provide extra support for people experiencing mental illness who need immediate treatment.

New mental health facilities are also being delivered at Sunshine Hospital in St Albans and the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Parkville. A new facility operated by Barwon Health in North Geelong was opened in September 2022.

Learn more about the Mental Health Beds Expansion - Northern Hospital

Learn more about the Mental Health Beds Expansion Program