S H E P PA R T O N Expansion underway for Shepparton Private Ramsay Health Care will invest $12 million in an expansion at Shepparton Private Hospital. The expansion will provide private inpatient mental health and rehabilitation services for the first time at the hospital. 6 The Ramsay Way 2015 | 03 N E W F A R M Work commences on extension of New Farm Clinic The expansion of Ramsay Health Care’s premier Brisbane psychiatric facility, New Farm Clinic, commenced in September 2015. New Farm Clinic CEO Ken Craig assists with the demolition of the old medical consulting suite building to make way for the Clinic's new expansion DEVELOPMENTS The improvements, which started in early October, will add 14 inpatient mental health beds, 12 rehabilitation patient rooms, a gymnasium and patient amenities to the facility. Shepparton Private Hospital chief executive Sheryl Keir said the new services would provide local care to the hundreds who needed to travel as much as four hours to access mental health and rehabilitative care. In the past year alone, more than 200 patients from the area requiring inpatient mental health care and more than 300 requiring rehabilitation services were referred elsewhere. "These patients haven't had the option locally," Sheryl said. "And there are others who would have used services had they been available." The rehabilitation services, among the first to be completed in the development, will be available as soon as November. The first of the 36 new modular units were transported from Melbourne to the hospital in early October and will be installed by mid October. Shepparton Director of Clinical Services Margot McGrath said hospital staff were very excited about the additional services. "These new services will save so much heartache for families," she said. The refurbishment will be finished by March 2016. ■ From left to right: Jon Cers – Maintenance Manager Shepparton Private, Sheryl Keir CEO, Matt O'Shannessy – Finance Manager and Scott Lewin – Site Manager Erilyan Building works underway The first of the modular units is installed at Shepparton Private in October New Farm Clinic, currently an 89 bed facility, is located in the leafy river suburb of New Farm in Brisbane. In 2016, New Farm Clinic will expand to 128 beds — all single rooms with ensuites. The redeveloped facility will include 10 consulting rooms in a purpose-built medical centre; a new carpark; gymnasium and five group therapy rooms for patients. Construction is expected to be completed by October 2016 including the conversion of shared rooms in the existing facility to all private rooms. Clinic CEO Ken Craig said the opening of these new contemporary mental health facilities would be welcomed by patients, staff and doctors. “The new facilities will ensure that quality mental health care is now more accessible to people in Queensland with a mental illness,” Ken said. “Today, Brisbane is experiencing a growing demand for mental health services and New Farm Clinic is one of a few private mental health facilities providing services in the Brisbane area. The Clinic treats over 7000 patients each year and plays a significant role in the local community caring for people suffering with a mental illness.” New Farm Clinic is a purpose-built mental health care facility that has been in its current location since 1986. In 2016 it will celebrate its 30th anniversary. The Clinic provides a number of critical services. It has a 10 bed inpatient eating disorder program, the only private inpatient eating disorder service in the State, and therefore provides an invaluable service to its patients and their parents or carers. ■
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