Designs have been released for a significant expansion of Modbury Hospital, including 44 new mental health beds, a brand-new cancer centre and a five-storey multideck car park with capacity for more than 300 vehicles.
The $117 million investment marks one of the biggest upgrades in the hospital's history, including:
* A specially designed state-of-the-art Mental Health Precinct including 24 mental health rehabilitation beds and a 20-bed Older Persons Mental Health unit – boosting the hospital's overnight bed capacity by 20 per cent.
*A brand-new Cancer Centre on a dedicated floor in the hospital, featuring 12 chemotherapy chairs, seven outpatient consulting rooms, and three interview rooms to support nursing, pharmacy education and clinical trials - marking the re-introduction of cancer services at Modbury Hospital.
*A new five-storey car park with more than 300 car spaces to accommodate increased patient activity and respond to a long-standing criticism about parking availability at the hospital.
Due for completion in December 2025, the 24 mental health rehabilitation beds will support adults who need longer stays in hospital for therapeutic and rehabilitative care, under a model that provides therapy in a specially designed living space to support daily activities.
Divided into two, 12-bed pods, the Mental Health Rehabilitation unit will feature four consumer interview rooms, kitchens and communal dining areas, a gym for community-based rehab, external courtyard spaces for each of the pods and two clinical open-plan offices and a staff lounge.
The 20-bed Older Person's Mental Health unit will see the existing older persons acute mental health service currently located at the Lyell McEwin Hospital move to the new Mental Health Precinct at Modbury. It will offer specialist mental health support to older people, aged 65 and above.
The unit will be split into two – a 12-bed open pod, and an eight-bed pod for high dependency clients. Designed for a safe, home-like environment, the older persons unit will feature interview rooms, sensory modulation rooms and family and visitor rooms, along with an internal courtyard space for each pod, and a lift to the lower ground level to a landscaped area.
Northern Adelaide residents will be able to receive mental health assessments and therapy within dedicated outpatient rooms to support their wellbeing. The building will also include additional office space and staff facilities to support the operation of the hospital's new services.
The cancer centre will be accessible via a separate dedicated entrance and drop off area, and a link bridge will align the service with the Modbury Hospital's existing south wing.
When complete in December 2025, this will be the first time in a decade that cancer services are delivered at Modbury Hospital. Currently, public hospital patients living in north-eastern suburbs attend Lyell McEwin Hospital or other metro-Adelaide hospitals for chemotherapy.
The car park is scheduled for completion in September 2025.
The plans are part of Labor's election commitments for the expansion of Modbury Hospital.
As put by Peter Malinauskas
We are delivering a bigger, better Modbury Hospital for the people of the North East.
More capacity inside the hospital and more car parks outside the hospital means a better experience for patients and their families.
By investing in more mental health beds, we can ease pressure on emergency departments, freeing up space for those who need urgent treatment and getting ambulances off the ramp.
The cancer centre will allow north-east residents requiring chemotherapy to access this lifesaving treatment closer to home, for the first time in a decade.
And importantly, we're delivering more than 300 new car parks, addressing a long-standing criticism about a lack of parking on site.
As put by Chris Picton
These works represent a $117 million commitment made by our Government to boost the number of mental health rehabilitation beds across the system and introduce cancer services to Modbury Hospital for the first time.
Not only are we expanding services at the hospital, we're also making sure that we have infrastructure in place to support an increase in patients and staff through a brand-new multideck carpark.
We are future-proofing our health system to ensure we can provide a high quality of care for all South Australians.
As put by Northern Adelaide Local Health Network Acting Chief Executive, Karen Puvogel
The start of early site works on this significant project marks an exciting milestone in the history of Modbury Hospital.
By increasing our services, we can ensure our community can access the mental health and cancer support they need, on their doorstep.
The introduction of a multi-level carpark is something that our staff have also been requesting for some time.
I am delighted that we can deliver on this for them and make it easier for our patients and their loved ones to come to the hospital.
