Upgrades to Mental Health Intensive Care Areas making headway

We’re upgrading 24 Mental Health Intensive Care Areas across the state.

These upgrades will make mental health facilities safer – responding to a key recommendation from the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System.

Mental Health Intensive Care Areas are discrete spaces within a mental health acute inpatient unit. They are dedicated to the safe treatment of people with increased risk and vulnerability.

The $61.1 million investment is supporting the redesign or upgrade of 24 existing acute Mental Health Intensive Care Areas to ensure they are fit-for-purpose, including:

• reconfiguring bedrooms so they have their own ensuite - this supports gender safety
• reconfiguring key spaces to improve visibility
• creating secure indoor and outdoor spaces. This can include gender-specific lounge areas, sensory rooms and kitchenettes.

As of September 2025, upgrades are complete at 16 Mental Health Intensive Care Areas, including:

• Bendigo Hospital – Acute Adult
• Box Hill Hospital - Acute Adult
• Box Hill Hospital - Acute Adolescent
• Broadmeadows Hospital - Acute Adult
• Casey Hospital – Acute Adult
• Footscray Hospital - Acute Adult
• Kingston Centre - Acute Aged
• Maroondah Hospital – Acute Adult
• Monash Medical Centre - Acute Adult
• Monash Medical Centre - Acute Adolescent
• Northern Hospital - Acute Adult
• Royal Children's Hospital – Acute Adolescent
• Sunshine Hospital - Acute Aged
• Wangaratta Hospital – Acute Adult
• Werribee Mercy Hospital - Acute Adult
• Werribee Mercy Hospital - Mothers & Baby Unit

A further eight upgrades across Victoria are in delivery, design or planning.

Project spotlight – Casey Hospital

The Mental Health Intensive Care Area at Casey Hospital has been upgraded.

The area supports adults experiencing mental ill health.

The $2.67 million project has:

• reconfigured all five bedrooms so they each have their own ensuite
• created gender-specific lounge areas
• built a sensory room
• built a kitchenette
• reconfigured the staff station to improve visibility.

These improvements create a safer environment for patients and a more functional workplace for staff.

Take a look at the improved space in the image gallery, below.