MARYBOROUGH has opened Queensland’s first dedicated Subacute Older Persons Mental Health Unit, providing older community members with a therapeutic, recovery-focused environment close to home.

The unit is part of the $39.61 million Fraser Coast Mental Health Service project and represents a major achievement for the Fraser Coast region. 

It involved transforming the existing inpatient unit at Maryborough Hospital into a fully refurbished 10-bed Subacute Older Persons Mental Health Unit.

Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service Chief Executive Debbie Carroll said the new unit expands bed capacity and reflects a shift in local mental health care. 

“The Subacute Older Persons Mental Health Unit is a reflection of our commitment to ensuring every member of our community receives the right care, at the right time, in the right place,” she said. 

“This specialist service will provide a therapeutic environment tailored to the unique needs of older people living with mental illness, enabling recovery and wellbeing close to home, family and support networks.”

Executive Director for Mental Health Robyn Bradley said the service is open to consumers over 65 and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers over 50. 

“Each stage of the project was informed by the voices of lived-experience workers, carers, consumers and families, who provided valuable input from planning through to completion,” she said.

 “This collaborative approach has ensured that both units are more than just modern facilities – they are welcoming, inclusive spaces built around the needs of those they serve.”

“The unit will be supported by a multidisciplinary team, including “mental health nurses, social workers, psychologists, occupational therapists, and medical staff – all working together to deliver high-quality, person-centred care.”

Stage One of the project launched the Fraser Coast Mental Health Inpatient Unit last year, which has cared for hundreds of consumers. 

Together, both stages increase inpatient capacity across the Fraser Coast from 14 beds at Maryborough to 22 acute beds in Hervey Bay and 10 new subacute beds in Maryborough, supporting a more localised, coordinated approach to mental health care.