The State Government today announced that building company ADCO had been chosen to build a new $7.1 million mental health observation area at Joondalup Health Campus.
Mental Health Minister Andrea Mitchell said the 10-bed mental health observation area would improve care to patients suffering mental ill health by providing a more appropriate environment, away from the busy emergency department.
"This state-of-the-art facility, which has been modelled on the country's most successful units, will also take pressure off the hospital's emergency department, which treats close to 100,000 patients annually making it one of the busiest emergency departments in the country," she said.
Visiting the hospital today, Ms Mitchell said construction work would commence immediately, with the mental health observation area expected to be operational by mid-2018.
"The mental health observation area will be built on the ground level adjacent to the emergency department and will include capacity to expand," she said.
"Mental health is one of the greatest issues facing the community. In 2015-16, some 4,454 patients presented at the Joondalup Health Campus emergency department with mental health issues as the primary health diagnosis, with some 30 per cent requiring admission to a mental health unit."
Health Minister John Day said these statistics highlighted the need for the purpose-built unit to improve services at Joondalup Health Campus.
"It will mean better care for mental health patients and a safer and more comfortable environment for patients as well as the staff treating them," Mr Day said.
The mental health observation area will include four bedrooms with glass sliding doors, six patient bays, a patient lounge, a secure outdoor courtyard and a waiting area.
The project will be jointly funded with the State Government contributing $5.1 million towards the project and Ramsay Health Care committing a further $2 million.
Fact File
Joondalup Health Campus (JHC) is an acute care hospital run by Ramsay Health Care under a public private partnership with the State Government
It provides an extensive range of public and private inpatient, outpatient and emergency services
A comprehensive range of medical, surgical, psychiatric and maternity services are available on the campus
More than 800 patients stay for more than 24 hours in the JHC emergency department each year - with nearly half of those waiting for a psychiatric bed in Perth
The purpose-built mental health observation area may reduce waiting times and the length of stay of patients in the emergency department by grouping patients in a centralised area with multidisciplinary resources, which will optimise diagnostic and therapeutic pathways
Mental Health Minister's office - 6552 5400
Health Minister's office - 6552 6200
