COVID delayed the construction of 40 beds at Fremantle Hospital says Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson

Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson has blamed COVID for a two-year delay to construction of 40 mental health beds at Fremantle Hospital. The additional mental health beds — including 20 secure beds, 10 beds for open adults and 10-beds for dementia patients — as well as the adult 24-hour mental health urgent care service and neurostimulation unit, were originally set to open last year. But construction is now slated to finish in 2025. Ms Sanderson said the $63 million redevelopment had to be “smoothed out” in the construction pipeline due to the disruption brought by the pandemic. “COVID has fundamentally changed the construction market for both commercial and residential construction,” she said. “We are very committed as a Government to increasing the number of, not only mental health beds, but community based support. “The mental health budget under this Government has increased by 50 per cent since we came to Government in 2017.” The upgrades will bring the total of mental health beds at Fremantle Hospital to 104 and the introduction of 24-hour urgent mental health service is set to relieve pressure from Fiona Stanley Hospital. Premier Roger Cook said the Government was “dedicated” to ensuring top quality services were available no matter where you lived in the State. “An extra 40 beds will increase inpatient mental health services at Fremantle Hospital by more than 60 per cent, which will be hugely beneficial to the community,” he said.