The Park Centre for Mental Health

Destravis was engaged by West Moreton Hospital and Health Service (WMHHS) to undertake strategic planning for The Park Campus for Mental Health in Brisbane’s west. The Park was established in 1865 and is one of the largest mental health facilities in Australia. It is responsible for providing:

• State-wide adult forensic and secure services
• Executive and administrative support for Mental Health and Specialised Services and Prison Health Services
• Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research (state-wide service)
• Queensland Centre for Mental Health Learning (state-wide service).

The Park is the only forensic mental health facility in Queensland. In spite of the move to place those with mental health issue into the wider community, the forensic population has shown significant growth in recent years, with a waiting list for accommodation for those patients where a community-based setting is inappropriate.

The approach to The Park master plan is to increase infrastructure on site in response to growth, whilst repurposing the majority of heritage buildings to develop a Mental Health Training and Research Centre.

The clinical planning outcomes of the master plan focussed on achieving:

• Mental Health Inpatient Unit bed ratio – 100% single
• Familiarity / residential character facilities
• Physically and psychologically comfortable spaces of human scale
• Meaningful Activity and Way of Life, providing for a range of activities, hobbies, interests, tasks; animal visits and spaces for pets; inter-generational environments
• Green space vs hard surfaces - outdoor spaces a lush green setting with an optimal ratio of green to hard surfaces of 7:3
• Visual access - allow people to see and be seen
• Provide Links to the community – promote interaction with friends and family
• Sensory Stimulation - engaging any five senses with helpful stimulation and reducing unhelpful stimulation (unwanted noise, shadows and glare)
• Safety – safe outdoor spaces where risks are minimised
• Enabler for new clinical models, among others.