SA Government unveils artists’ impressions for new-look Modbury Hospital
Construction is set to begin on a $117m rebuild and expansion set to deliver 44 new mental health beds and a cancer clinic.
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Construction is set to begin on a new $117m rebuild and expansion of Modbury Hospital that will deliver 44 new mental health beds in a bid to reduce ambulance ramping and increase patient outcomes.
The investment includes a new cancer centre on a dedicated floor of the hospital, opening up treatment options for northern suburbs residents, and a five-storey car park with more than 300 spaces.
The mental health precinct will include 24 rehabilitation beds and a 20-bed older persons mental health unit that will increase the Modbury Hospital’s overnight bed capacity by 20 per cent.
Premier Peter Malinauskas said the investment – one of the biggest in the Modbury Hospital’s history – would dramatically enhance the delivery of mental health services across the state’s network.
“We know the challenge around mental health service delivery is increasing around the country, the demand for these services isn’t going anywhere,” he said.
“So we have got to invest in capacity not just at the back end but at the front end as well.
“This will alleviate pressure out in the community.”
Construction on the new mental health precinct is due to start later this year and is slated for completion in December 2025.
The 24 rehabilitation beds will support adults needing longer hospital stays for therapeutic and rehabilitative care in a specially designed space developed in consultation with people with lived experience.
It will be divided into two, 12-bed pods.
The 20-bed older person’s mental health unit will relocate the existing acute mental health service currently at Lyell McEwin Hospital to the new precinct at Modbury, with specialist mental health support to people aged 65 and older.
The unit includes two sections with a 12-bed open pod and an eight-bed pod for high-dependency clients.
The precinct will also service mental health assessments for Northern Adelaide residents.
Mr Malinauskas said the precinct would dramatically reduce pressures on emergency departments and ambulance ramping rates across the SA health network.
“One of the contributors to the increase in demand on our ambulance service and our emergency departments is the prevalence of mental health presentations,” he said.
“If we can invest in services to diminish the burden on our emergency departments, that means better outcomes for patients and also relieves pressure on our hospital system which of course is important if we want to start turning around the ramping data in the way this government is so utterly determined to achieve.
“The truth about our health system is that it is entirely interconnected.”
The cancer centre, due for completion in December 2025, will be the first time in 10 years treatment services are available at Modbury Hospital.
Health Minister Chris Picton said the centre would enable northern suburb residents to stay closer to home when undergoing treatment or accessing services.
The centre will be accessible via a separate dedicated entrance and drop-off area, and a link bridge connecting to the Modbury Hospital’s existing south wing.
He said the new car park would also relieve pressures on people seeking treatment at the hospital.
The car park is due for completion in September 2025, with work to start this month.
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