Tamworth mental health unit

Work has started on preparing the site for the new mental health unit at Tamworth Hospital, delivered under the $700 million Statewide Mental Health Infrastructure Program (SWMHIP).
 
The new unit will provide welcoming, comfortable, safe and supportive facilities, as well as bring a much-needed expansion of services to the area.
 
Following the announcement of additional State Government funding in June 2022, the design was updated to include facilities for extra community mental health services and a four-bed area for adolescents.
 
The new facility will feature:

• Additional adolescent inpatient beds (four)
• 20-bed adult pod, as well as five-bed adult high acuity zone
• Eight-bed older persons’ pod
• Child and Adolescent Community Mental Health Services

 
The SWMHIP is a NSW Government initiative designed to support the delivery of mental healthcare reform across the state, and will help to address statewide gaps in inpatient services. It will also provide facilities for patients to transition or receive care in the community.
 

Next steps

Early works, involving constructing extra car parking spaces, started in April 2023 and will end in August.

The tender for main works will be awarded later in the year. The facility will open by 2026.

People who will use or engage with the service will be consulted to ensure the lived experience of mental health is central to the design and delivery of the new unit.
 

Site and floor plans

Site map for new mental health unit
Level 1: Community mental health services
Level 2: Inpatient
Level 3: Staff area