The Victorian Health Building Authority (VHBA) has appointed modular contractors to help deliver the $492 million Mental Health Beds Expansion Program.

Modscape and Grove were selected and will manufacture three new acute mental health facilities in Epping, Geelong and St Albans – totalling 98 beds.

The beds will be spread across Barwon Health’s McKellar Centre (16 beds, delivered by Modscape), Northern Health’s Northern Hospital (30 beds, delivered by Modscape) and Western Health’s Sunshine Hospital (52 beds, delivered by Grove).

Managing Contractor, Lendlease Building, will oversee construction of the project.

The Mental Health Beds Expansion Program comes in response to a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System.

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The Royal Melbourne Hospital will also undergo a traditional build and refurbishment for a 22-bed facility

Once complete, the new hospital-based beds will provide more than 43,000 days of care, enabling 2500 more Victorians to access vital mental health services each year.

VHBA CEO Rob Fiske said the work will deliver more than 1450 jobs during construction, including more than 230 jobs as part of the modular construction at three sites.

“Developed in consultation with people with lived experience of Victoria’s mental health system, these new facilities will reduce pressure on emergency departments and deliver acute mental health services, including inpatient and community-based care to Victorians experiencing acute mental health issues from contemporary, safe, and high-quality hospital settings,” Fiske said.