Hospital based care 09 October 2023

New Sunshine Mental Health and Wellbeing Centre now complete

Take a first look at the new state-of-the-art centre at Western Health’s Sunshine Hospital in St Albans.

Set to welcome patients in the coming weeks, the new mental health facility will allow residents of Melbourne’s western suburbs to access acute mental health treatment in a modern and safe setting. It will allow 1,153 more Victorians to get the care and treatment they need each year.

The delivery of the new centre responds to a key recommendation from the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System. The centre was designed in consultation with people with lived experience of the mental health system. This includes consumers, carers, clinicians and staff.

The multi-million-dollar project was funded through the $801 million Mental Health Beds Expansion Program. Built by Lendlease, it has delivered:

an acute mental health facility with 52 single person bedrooms and ensuites
a sensory room
internal courtyards and enclosed garden areas
multi-functional rooms
spiritual rooms
staff and family lounges
treatment rooms.

Accessible video transcript

Text on screen: A new 52-bed acute mental health facility, the Sunshine Mental Health and Wellbeing Centre, has been completed at Western Health’s Sunshine Hospital in St Albans

Images: a montage of the completed rooms at the new facility

Text on screen: Built using a modular construction solution, where the units were completed off-site and installed later

Images: footage of construction work being completed

Text on screen: the new centre will reduce pressure on Sunshine Hospital’s busy emergency department Images: aerial footage of the hospital emergency department exterior

Text on screen: Take a look inside. The state-of-the-art new facility features treatment and multi-purpose rooms, staff and family lounge with internal courtyard and garden areas. It has been designed to provide a safe, welcoming and healing environment. On track to welcome patients in coming weeks, the Sunshine Mental Health and Wellbeing Centre will provide more than 18,900 days of care to an estimated 1,153 people each year.

Images: a montage of the completed rooms at the new facility

Images: A sliding transition screen displays the Victorian Health Building Authority and Victoria State Government logos and the web address vhba.vic.gov.au

End of transcript.

Modular construction

The centre was built using modular construction. Units are constructed offsite and then installed at the centre. This process means buildings can be constructed, and completed, faster. Modular construction was also used at the McKellar Centre in Geelong and the Northern Hospital.