Designs for a new mental health centre at Maitland Hospital have been released, prompting calls for the site to have adequate natural areas to foster healing. Login or signup to continue reading Services will be moved to the Maitland site from Morisset Hospital , a huge parcel of lakefront land worth millions. The centre, due to be completed by 2027, includes forensic mental health services.
The design aimed to support "a rehabilitation model of care". NSW Minister for Mental Health Rose Jackson said the project would help forensic patients "safely progress through their recovery and rehabilitation". Forensic mental health units are part of the justice system, enabling offenders to receive treatment after committing crimes due to mental illness.
The site will include inpatient units for low- and medium-security forensic patients, and a rehabilitation and recovery unit. The units will have single bedrooms with ensuites, a shared kitchen, dining and living areas and indoor and outdoor therapy spaces. The project includes additional parking spaces so staff, visitors and emergency services can access the centre quickly.
The government said the Maitland site's design was shaped by consultation with staff and "people with lived experience of mental ill health". Wayne Barrett , who had stayed in mental health units, said natural settings were important for healing. Mr Barrett, a former office manager for a state MP and minister, said the Morisset site had "a lot of outdoor space wit.