Canberra residents will be able to access new top-class private mental health services from January next year, with the opening of Deakin Private Hospital.
Run by Aurora Healthcare Australia, it will be the first private mental health facility in the nation’s capital to feature young adult beds.
When finished, it will be a fully-integrated inpatient, day patient and outpatient mental health hospital with innovative design features and technology to support an improved experience and care for patients and staff.
Australian CEO of Aurora Healthcare, Julia Strickland-Bellamy, said Deakin Private Hospital’s young adult service was modelled on the group’s highly-successful The Hills Clinic in Sydney, and would raise the bar for mental health hospitals around the country.
“Deakin Private Hospital is purpose-designed with features and facilities to connect with both young adults and adults, providing a safe, and comfortable environment for our patients to receive essential medical and therapeutic care,” she said.
“Each year we service 20,000 inpatient admissions for mental health hospital care, as well as 100,000 day-patient attendances for our mental health therapy programs, all of which is accessible in our facilities across five states.
“We identified the shortfall in mental health services well before COVID-19, and the sustained impacts on the community, making delivering this service more important than ever.
“As our nation’s leading specialised private mental health care operator, we want to destigmatise mental illness by delivering a comprehensive service that fosters safety, comfort and accessible evidence-based treatment, in a facility that is nothing short of exceptional.”
Aurora Healthcare provides mental health treatment and services across the age spectrum, including adolescents, adults, and older persons. It targets a broad range of diagnostic areas, and sub-specialities include depression, anxiety, trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), addictions, perinatal and eating disorders.
Deakin Private Hospital’s design is based on six key philosophies to best help people get well: identity, nature, active body and mind, independence, connectedness, and peace.
“The end goal is always to assist in the healing process, so people leave hospital healthier and happier,” Ms Strickland-Bellamy said.
“We look at how patients will feel in the space, how they interact with the building and surrounds, how the building helps them interact with the environment in addition to the medically-led treatment and therapy provided by our expert clinicians.
“Our focus is on promoting opportunities for both interaction and independence, with flexible spaces that provide comfort and familiarity to transitional back to home and in the community.”
The project is expected to generate a significant amount of clinical, nursing, operational and administrative jobs for the Canberra area.
Recruitment has already started, with the first appointments expected in the coming weeks for key executive, clinical and operational roles to support final preparations for the hospital’s opening.
Deakin Private Hospital represents a $27 million investment into the ACT’s mental health sector, built in partnership with Aurora Healthcare and Barwon Investment Partners.
Stage one features 52 beds, group therapy rooms and doctors’ consulting suites.
Stage two is anticipated to expand the hospital to more than 80 beds, with the finished project occupying a site adjacent to the John James Memorial Hospital Campus, co-located with the Deakin Health Hub, which is a 1,000-square-metre medical consulting facility.
Ms Strickland-Bellamy said Deakin Private Hospital would help to alleviate pressure on the ACT’s health system by “providing expanded critical capacity”.
“Specifically with inpatient services in mind, and supported by complementary services including day programs, an outpatient clinic and community-based support services for a wide range of mental health needs,” she said.
“We look forward to developing the hospital and services and building our Canberra-based team of staff, along with key partnerships to complement services we offer the community.”
