A $40 million mental health precinct to replace Burnie’s fire-hit Spencer Clinic is under way, with 10 of the clinic’s beds set to reopen this week.
Health Minister Bridget Archer said the precinct would have a 22-bed inpatient unit and be finished by the end of 2028.
“When someone is experiencing a mental health crisis, they deserve care that helps them feel safe, supported and treated with dignity,” Archer said.
Repairs to part of the existing clinic have been completed, according to the minister, with a four-bed high care unit and a six-bed acute inpatient unit to reopen by the end of the week.
She said five subacute beds built elsewhere on the North West Regional Hospital campus were being commissioned and would open later this month.
Since the fire, some high dependency patients have had to be moved to Launceston or Hobart, Archer said. Others have been cared for in the north-west through arrangements with the North West Private Hospital and community support.
Vos Construction is building the new precinct.
Vos Construction Manager for Northern Tasmania Kieran Rimmelzwaan said work had started on a separate site access off Uplands Place so construction would not disrupt hospital services.
He said that work had been slowed by weather over the past week.
He said the build would take around 18 months, followed by commissioning and handover.
Rimmelzwaan said around 300 people were expected to work on site during construction, with six to 12 new apprenticeships to be created.
The Tasmanian government said the design, which includes dedicated clinical spaces, accessible parking and healing gardens, was shaped through engagement with clinicians, stakeholders and the community.
Archer thanked mental health staff, who she said had “gone above and beyond” to care for patients.
