Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Mental Health Ingrid Stitt (pictured with CEO Russell Harrison right) visited Western Health over the weekend to officially open the new Mental Health & Wellbeing Centre at Sunshine Hospital, with the first patients set to be admitted on Thursday 19 October, marking a significant development in the provision of mental health and wellbeing services at Western Health and for our community.
The Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System made it clear that Victoria needed more acute, hospital-based mental health beds across the state to give all Victorians the care, treatment and support they deserve.
The new centre features 52 acute hospital-based beds, which have been designed in consultation with people with lived experience of the mental health system, and includes sensory rooms, de-escalation rooms, internal courtyards and enclosed garden areas, staff and family lounges, and treatment rooms.
It is estimated the centre will provide more than 18,900 days of care to more than 1,150 more people every year.
Since practical completion in August of this year, staff in Mental Health and Wellbeing Services and the broader project teams have undertaken a substantial amount of work to ensure the clinical readiness of this purpose-built facility.
A thorough transitioning and commissioning period, including scenario testing, a mock move and extensive training and orientation has been undertaken, and I thank staff for their huge efforts to ensure we are able to provide safe, high-quality care to our consumers.
Further information about the new facility and the broader transition and integration is available via Westerly.