The Pathways to 144 Mental Health Bed Expansion project increased capacity for mental health services across four existing facilities in Victoria – the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Northern Hospital, Sunshine Hospital, and McKellar Centre. The facilities provided 144 additional beds to support contemporary approaches to treatment, care, and reduce pressure on emergency departments. The project was managed by the Victorian Health Building Authority and was delivered under a co-design partnership model with AECOM, together with NTC Architects, NH Architecture, and BG Architecture.
The Judging Panel praised the project’s public and private partners for the project’s close and comprehensive adherence to the recommendations of the 2019 Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System. The Judging Panel commended the project’s co-design partnerships approach which integrated expertise from the public and private sectors and included extensive stakeholder engagement. The approach promoted agency for clinicians and people with lived experience of mental illness to ensure designs delivered benefits to the end-users.