This morning, Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews and Minister for Mental Health Gabrielle Williams MP visited Northern Health to announce the completion of our new acute mental health building.

“This new facility will allow people in Melbourne’s growing northern suburbs to receive the support they need close to their homes, families and support networks,” Mr Andrews said.

This facility will deliver 30 acute inpatient mental health beds with a contemporary and modern design to support recovery, including technologically enhanced sensory rooms and courtyards with in-built exercise equipment.

The patient rooms and communal spaces are light, supportive and flexible so the changing needs of consumers can be accommodated to throughout their stay.

Consumers will also have access to a range of shared internal spaces for social, therapeutic and recreational activities.

In addition to providing the mental health support people need, close to home, the project has supported around 450 construction jobs whilst being built.

Northern Health’s Director of Nursing for Mental Health, Gary Ennis, said the new facility will be helpful in attracting new staff as it will be a great place to deliver gold-standard care to consumers.

“This facility will be a great asset to our local community,” Mr Ennis said.

“It’s fantastic to see the impact the input from our lived-experience consumers has had on the final result – this unit is a functional space for staff to work in and a comfortable environment for patients to recover in.”

Once opened, this facility will allow Northern Heath to treat around 650 additional mental health patients each year and reduce the pressure on our emergency department.