WESTERN CAPE NEWS - The new facility represents an R86 million investment by the Western Cape Government to expand healthcare infrastructure and support the delivery of high-quality mental health services.
The purpose-built Acute Psychiatric Unit provides a dedicated environment where multidisciplinary healthcare teams can deliver specialised care focused on treatment, recovery and preserving patient dignity.
Western Cape Minister of Health and Wellness, Mireille Wenger, said the expansion comes in response to increasing demand for acute psychiatric services across the province.
“Over recent years, we have seen growing demand for acute psychiatric services across our province. Our responsibility is to ensure that our health system responds,” said Wenger.
“This investment is about far more than increasing capacity. Every person experiencing a mental health crisis deserves to receive the right care, at the right time, in an environment designed to support healing and dignity. That is exactly what this new facility has been built to provide.”
Facility designed to support healing and dignity
The new unit has been carefully designed to form part of the therapeutic environment, with features aimed at promoting recovery while ensuring patient safety.
The facility includes generous natural lighting, well-ventilated wards, dual courtyards and thoughtfully planned layouts that create calm and supportive spaces for patients.
The separation of patient care areas from operational and maintenance spaces further enhances the patient experience by allowing healthcare teams to provide uninterrupted care in a more dignified setting.
Western Cape Minister of Infrastructure Tertuis Simmers said the modern 1 400m² facility would significantly improve Eerste River Hospital’s ability to care safely for vulnerable mental health users.
“Every design decision, from layout to materials, was guided by the principles of dignity, safety, and an improved patient experience, while supporting an effective working environment for clinical staff,” said Simmers.
The new Acute Psychiatric Unit at Eerste River Hospital. Healthcare infrastructure supports quality care
Minister Wenger added that healthcare infrastructure should be viewed as more than just buildings, but as an important foundation for delivering quality care.
“While today marks an important milestone in expanding mental healthcare infrastructure, it is our healthcare professionals who bring this facility to life,” she said.
“I want to thank the dedicated teams at Eerste River Hospital who have continued to provide compassionate care despite growing demand for mental health services, as well as the architects, engineers, project managers, contractors and infrastructure teams whose expertise has created a facility that will benefit patients and families for decades to come.”
More psychiatric beds to be added across the province
The new Acute Psychiatric Unit at Eerste River Hospital is the first of three such facilities that will become operational during the current financial year.
Together with new units planned at Khayelitsha Hospital and New Somerset Hospital, an additional 90 acute psychiatric beds will be introduced.
The expansion will strengthen the province’s ability to ensure that more patients experiencing mental health crises receive appropriate care at the right time and in suitable facilities.
The communal space where patients can visit with family and friends.
‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
