Nexus Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit

A new 12-bed Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service Unit is being planned for John Hunter Hospital to meet the needs of young people aged 5 to 18 years living in the Hunter and New England regions.

Replacing existing facilities, the unit will be located within the John Hunter Hospital and has been co-designed with young people, families, carers and health professionals, to ensure a holistic, patient-centred service is built that will meet the needs of young people for years to come.

Project information

The Nexus Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit is part of the NSW Government’s $700 million Statewide Mental Health Infrastructure Program and is being delivered as part of the John Hunter Health and Innovation Precinct.

Benefits 

The project will:

• Provide a modern, therapeutic environment for young people.
• Include a co-design approach that incorporates feedback from teens and children with lived experience of mental health issues.
• Provide a dedicated courtyard, carer accommodation, family zones, recreation areas and rooms that maximise access to natural light.
• Balance the needs for privacy, activity and creativity.
• Be focused on a patient-centred model of care with spaces to support family involvement in the delivery of care for their loved one.
• Support telehealth mental services to rural and remote areas.

Scope

A new 12-bed facility including:

• consultation rooms  
• a dedicated courtyard
• carer accommodation
• educational space
• family zones
• recreation areas
• rooms that maximise access to natural light
• provision for telehealth mental health services to rural and remote areas.