Austin Health's new, purpose-built mental health facility is taking shape.

Construction began in March with excavation and the erection of retaining walls.

About 4,500 cubic metres of soil were moved to level the site and transform the north-western corner of the Austin Hospital.

'The staff, patients and their families are very excited by the progress of the construction of the facility,' said Austin Health's Manager of Mental Health Les Potter.

'They are now starting to believe that this is real—that it won't be too long before we will have a new home.'

The facility will consolidate much of adult mental health services at the Austin Hospital.

Long-term patients will be housed in a secure extended care unit while acute patients will be located in another specialist, separate unit.

Both buildings, however, will be connected and face on to a large internal, circular courtyard.

Construction of the acute unit was part of the Austin Health redevelopment and the builder was already on site when funding for the secure extended care unit was confirmed in May.

Considerable savings have been made due to the economies of scale achieved with the co-location and the concurrent construction of the two units.

The adult acute/specialist unit will consist of:

•           15 adult acute psychiatry beds (high dependency unit);

•           nine-bed mood and eating disorder unit;

•           six-bed mother and baby unit.

The secure extended care unit will provide accommodation for 25 long-term patients currently residing in Bunjil House at the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital.

The landscape plan has been finalised and each building will have its own dedicated outdoor space.

Long-term residents will enjoy access to a vegetable garden.

The new facility has been thoughtfully designed to have a residential feel and will feature an abundance of space and natural light.

All patient quarters will be single-storey and each building will have its own entry.

It is expected that both units will open in late 2006.