May 2010
Southern Health Chief
Executive Officer Shelly Park and Minister for Mental Health Lisa Neville.
Big mental health project underway
Turning the first sod on the
project, Mental Health Minister Lisa Neville said the new state-of-the art
facility would increase the quality of care Victorians received and address
growing demand for mental health services in the south eastern suburbs of
Melbourne.
Ms Neville said the development
of the Dandenong mental health service would address current and future demand
for inpatient and community-based care.
‘This project will increase the
availability of secure beds in Victoria by almost 30 per cent through the
provision of an additional 30-bed secure extended care unit.
‘Inpatient beds at the hospital
will be increased from 77 currently to 120 once the development is complete.
‘An additional 30 residential beds
will also be provided.’
Ms Neville said the new facilities would replace the outdated mental health acute inpatient units and, for the first time, provide a purpose-built aged acute mental health inpatient service at Dandenong Hospital.
