Mental health clinic to expand

More beds for hospital

A GEELONG mental health hospital is set for a $16 million expansion to add an additional 21 private mental health beds.

Healthscope announced yesterday it would invest more than $16 million in The Geelong Clinic, which is a dedicated 52-bed private mental health hospital.

The clinic has programs for a range of psychiatric conditions including addiction, anxiety and depression, posttraumatic stress, schizophrenia, and mood, eating and personality disorders.

The expansion will convert existing shared bedrooms to private rooms, taking the hospital’s number of beds to 73, and include upgrades to the kitchen, dining room and office space to cater for the additional capacity.

The Geelong Clinic professorial unit’s director, Michael Berk, said the expansion would cater for muchneeded demand for mental health services in the Barwon South Western Region.

“Currently there is a considerable unmet need for mental health services in the community,” Professor Berk said. “These new beds will provide increased access to psychiatric services for many people who are currently unable to access the mental health treatment they require.

“This will have a considerable potential impact, helping reduce the intensity and duration of psychiatric symptoms in the individuals we treat.”

Construction is set to start early next year and take about 12 months to complete.

The Geelong Clinic’s general manager and director of nursing, Janine Haigh, said the redevelopment would be designed to cater for current and future demand, with room for further expansion.

“We treat individuals from as far away as the South Australian border, with some patients travelling from interstate to access our eating disorder and other specialty programs, as well as our local community,” Ms Haigh said.

“Demand for dedicated, specialised mental health services is only going to increase and we are committed to ensuring the community has access to the care they require.”

The Victorian AuditorGeneral’s Office last month highlighted the need for more mental health services, stating the state lagged other jurisdictions in the available funding and infrastructure, and the percentage of the population supported.

The Auditor-General’s report found 45 per cent of Victorians experienced mental illness in their lifetime, while annually one in five, or 1.2 million, suffered a mental illness.

CURRENTLY THERE IS A CONSIDERABLE UNMET NEED FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN THE COMMUNITY. PROFESSOR MICHAEL BERK