In the wake of the devastating Spencer Clinic fire, our focus has been on ensuring Tasmanians continue to receive safe, high-quality mental health services through alternative arrangements across the health system.
A $40 million contract has been awarded to Vos Construction to build a new 22-bed mental health precinct at the North West Regional Hospital to replace the Spencer Clinic.
Minister for Health, Mental Health and Wellbeing, Bridget Archer, said that in the interim, further measures will soon be in place to reinstate mental health care capacity at the North West Regional Hospital.
“Engineering inspections at the Spencer Clinic have confirmed 10 rooms are able to be re-occupied, subject to remediation work,” Minister Archer said.
“A contractor has been appointed to undertake immediate repairs, and this is already underway to deliver a four-bed high care unit and a six-bed acute inpatient unit within the existing Spencer Clinic and High Dependency Unit footprint.
“In addition to this, work to establish five sub-acute mental health beds on the broader hospital campus is also underway, and we are expecting all 15 beds to be available next month.
“Since the fire, we have maintained a close working partnership with the North West Private Hospital, including continued provision of care for some public mental health patients through a 3-bed public/private partnership, and we are continuing to work with them to identify opportunities to further increase mental health bed capacity.
“I want to recognise and sincerely thank our amazing health care staff who have been working tirelessly over the last 19 days since the fire to ensure North West patients needing mental health care can continue to receive it.”
