Mental health boost with $21m expansion of Belmont Private Hospital in Carina

Work as started on the expansion of Queensland’s largest private metal health facility which will focus on peri-natal mood disorders and care for adolescents. SEE INSIDE

Queensland’s largest private mental health facility will get a $21m makeover including a new six-level building.

Private hospital operator Healthe Care on Monday kicked off work on the major expansion of Belmont Private Hospital in Carina on Brisbane’s southside.

The redevelopment will include a purpose-built women’s centre to treat more patients affected by peri-natal mood disorders and a new adolescent mental health ward for patients aged from 16 years.

It will alleviate critical gaps in the region’s private mental health services and support early intervention.

An artist's impression of the Belmont Private Hospital's new adolescent unit.

The expansion, expected to be completed in mid-2022, will include a new six-level building on Creek Rd, Carina, with two storeys dedicated to hospital wards, one to consulting suites and three levels of carparking, along with the refurbishment of existing wards.

It will boost total beds to 185, an additional 35 beds, and increase floorspace to 14,000sq m, an additional 5300sq m, making Belmont Private the second largest private mental health facility in Australia.

The project is part of an $80m pipeline of new developments and redevelopments Healthe Care’s Specialty Services business is undertaking nationally, in-line with increasing demand for mental health services Australia-wide.

An artist's impression of the Belmont Private Hospital's peri-natal unit.

Healthe Care chief executive of speciality hospitals Julia Strickland-Bellamy said the expansion would allow Belmont Private to treat more inpatients and outpatients, while solidifying its reputation.

“The redevelopment will mean we can increase our services in critical areas to meet high demand for beds, particularly from mothers experiencing post-natal depression and adolescents needing support,” she said.

“Our expanded Brisbane Centre for post-natal Disorders, which has been operating for three decades as the only private inpatient peri-natal mood disorder clinic in Queensland, will increase capacity in a new dedicated and modern space purpose-designed for both women and their babies.

“The adolescents ward will be modelled from our highly-successful, evidence-based The Hills Clinic in Sydney, which has supported young people from around Australia and internationally.

“We have identified areas of most critical need in Queensland and introduced services accordingly, in line with our commitment to providing high quality and accessible care to patients across Australia.”