Minister for Mental Health Emma Davidson has announced the ACT Residential Centre for eating disorders will be built in Coombs.
A tender for the construction of the Centre will be released in the coming weeks and the Centre is on track for completion in 2023-24. The location is Block 3, Section 17 in Coombs.
Minister Davidson says the Centre forms part of the ACT Government’s stepped care model of care for eating disorders, which links services together so that everyone can access the right support at the right time.
“The location in Coombs is close to nature, overlooks green spaces and a pond and is in a residential setting. These elements support a home-like environment to help people on their recovery journey and live well in the community,” Minister Davidson said.
“People with lived experience, clinicians and non-government organisations have been clear that this centre will fill a significant gap – providing a calming home-like environment with specialised therapeutic support for people with eating disorders who sit between care delivered in the community and acute clinical care in hospital.
“It is a critical addition to Canberra’s eating disorder services, which has been scarce and led to many not being able to receive the right support in the ACT. Over the past years, significant work has been undertaken to expand services and better coordinate them with existing support. For instance, the Clinical Hub, which launched in January this year, has seen patient waiting times reduce from an average 644 days in December 2021 to 56 days in October 2022.”
An early design on the Coombs site has been completed and the Preliminary Sketch Plan Phase is now underway, with the aim of having a Development Application (DA) lodged before the end of 2022. The draft designs for the Centre continue to undergo consultation throughout the DA process, which will run until construction commences in 2023.
The Commonwealth Government has agreed to fund $13.5 million over three years starting in 2021-22 for the development of the Centre.
The Clinical Hub better coordinates resources, services, and clinical expertise to ensure people with eating disorders are quickly connected with health and community services that best support their individual needs.
