February 10, 2025Northern Health is the home of Victoria’s largest public women’s mental health inpatient unit.
Located at Northern Hospital Epping in Ward 7, the Women’s Mental Health Unit will operate as a 25-bed inpatient unit, dedicated to supporting female consumers aged 18 to 65 years who require hospital-based care due to acute deterioration of current mental illness, or acute exacerbation of chronic mental illness that cannot be managed in the community.
Officially opening today, the unit will serve consumers who reside within the northern catchment or have presented to a health site within the catchment and require admission. The unit is also the first women’s mental health unit in the northern catchment area.
The unit’s workforce includes 59 staff from multiple disciplines including nursing, social work, occupational therapy, consultant psychiatry, psychology, admin and lived experience.
Ward 7 underwent a significant refurbishment to enhance the environment to better support recovery-focused care. The works included upgraded lighting, new flooring, ligature-safe doors, as well as modernised ensuites and toilets to ensure a safer and more therapeutic space for consumers.
Belinda Scott, Executive Director, Mental Health, said the unit was a significant milestone and represented a big step forward in delivering specialised, compassionate and holistic care for women experiencing acute mental illness.
“Here at Northern Hospital Epping, we have 80 Adult Mental Health beds – this is the largest number of public mental health beds on a single site in Victoria,” Ms Scott said.
“This creates an opportunity to do things differently, to move towards specialist care not just for women but for all consumers using Northern Health Mental Health services. This marks the first step in transforming care.”
“Now, with a refurbished space and a passionate team, we are ready to open our doors and provide care that is consumer centred, recovery-oriented and guided by the principles of trauma-informed care and family inclusive practices.”
Shaveta Sood, Project Manager, Ward 7, said the Women’s Mental Health Unit is dedicated to delivering trauma-informed, gender-sensitive and recovery-focused care to ensure a safe and supportive environment, and responds to the unique needs of women in crisis.
“We look forward to welcoming consumers and providing high-quality, compassionate mental health care in this newly refurbished space. Thank you to everyone involved in making this vision a reality,” Ms Sood said.
Featured image: L-R Gary Ennis, Director of Nursing, Mental Health, Debra Bourne, Chief Executive, John Dermanakis, Operations Director, Northern Area Mental Health Service, Belinda Scott, Executive Director, Mental Health, Vinay Lakra, Divisional Director, Mental Health, and Shaveta Sood, Project Manager, Ward 7.
