Our mental health facilities explained

Acute mental health inpatient facilities support people experiencing an acute episode of mental illness or psychological distress who require specialised and immediate treatment.

These services provide short-term treatment, care and support in a contemporary, safe and high-quality hospital setting.

They provide a range of therapeutic interventions and programs, including supporting patients to:

• explore ways of managing their mental ill health
• improve coping strategies
• move towards recovery.

They also reduce pressure on emergency departments by providing access to treatment for people that need dedicated clinical care.

What we’re delivering

The $492 million Mental health beds expansion program will deliver 120 hospital-based beds and 24 home-based beds.

The new hospital-based beds and services will be located at:

• Northern Hospital, Epping
• Sunshine Hospital, St Albans
• The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville
• McKellar Centre, North Geelong.

Once complete, the new hospital-based beds will provide more than 43,000 days of care per year. This will enable 2,500 more Victorians to access vital mental health inpatient services every year.

The new inpatient units have been co-designed with people with lived experience of Victoria’s mental health system.

Emergency department mental health, alcohol and other drugs hubs enhance access to treatment for people presenting to emergency departments with urgent mental health and psychological distress, alcohol and other drug issues.

The hubs are 24-hour short stay units in a dedicated treatment space within the emergency department. Patients are assessed and treated by an emergency department team made up of psychiatrists, nurses and social workers.

The new hubs will ensure people presenting at emergency departments can be fast tracked to receive specialist and dedicated care. This provides the right support sooner, enhances patient experience and eases pressure on existing resources.

What we're delivering

The Victorian Government is investing $32 million in six new emergency department mental health, alcohol and other drugs hubs.

The new emergency departments hubs will be located at:

• Barwon Health’s University Hospital Geelong
• Monash Health’s Monash Medical Centre
• Peninsula Health’s Frankston Hospital
• St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne
• The Royal Melbourne Hospital
• Western Health’s Sunshine Hospital.

Once complete, the new hubs will provide a total of 34 new beds across Victoria’s busiest hospitals.

Alcohol and other drug residential rehabilitation facilities provide 24-hour specialised treatment, care and support to people who are recovering from alcohol and other drug issues.

The facilities provide a safe and supportive environment for people who have already started their recovery journey. This means all residents have gone through detox and are no longer using alcohol or other drugs.

Rehabilitation programs are typically for three to four months duration but this is dependent on the needs of the individual. Some stays can be 12 months or longer. They provide people an opportunity to work on their recovery by establishing new patterns of behaviour in a safe and therapeutic environment, separate from their everyday life.

Ongoing support is also available after a stay at a residential rehabilitation facility. Support includes official programs, like peer support meetings, counselling, housing and training. Informal networks also provide ongoing support, building upon the relationships made during treatment.

What we’re delivering

The Victorian Government is investing $52.1 million to deliver three new regional alcohol and other drug facilities.

The project will deliver 30-bed adult residential rehabilitation facilities in Corio and Wangaratta. A 20-bed facility in Traralgon will provide specialised treatment, care and support for young people aged between 16 and 21 years.

Once complete, these facilities will provide alcohol and drug residential rehabilitation services to an additional 900 Victorians every year.

Forensic mental health services provide care and treatment for people experience serious ill mental health who are in, or at risk of entering, the justice system.

These facilities provide advanced clinical treatment and programs in purpose-built, secure environments.

What we’re delivering

The $349.6 million Thomas Embling Hospital expansion will deliver an additional 82 secure mental health beds and help transform Victoria’s forensic mental health system.

The expansion will include a new dedicated 34-bed women’s precinct, a 48-bed medium security men’s facility, as well as clinical administration facilities.

Mental health helplines can provide support if you are experiencing mental ill health:

• Beyondblue – call 1300 224 636 for telephone support, information and resources for people dealing with depression or anxiety.
• Lifeline - call 13 11 14 for this free, 24-hour Australia-wide crisis support and suicide prevention service.
• Kids Help Line – call 1800 55 1800 for free counselling and advice for young people between the ages of five and 25.

A comprehensive list of counselling, online and phone supports for mental illness is available on the Better Health Channel website.

The Department of Health also provides information on mental health resources for those struggling due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. They are available on the Mental health resources page on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Victoria website