About the project
Newcastle will be home to a new $13 million state-wide Residential Eating Disorders Treatment Centre, the first publicly funded service of its kind in NSW.
The 12-bed centre, to be built in Charlestown, will provide specialist support for people aged 16 years and above with eating disorders. It will offer wrap-around care in a home-like environment for those who need more support than a day program but don’t require hospitalisation.
A multidisciplinary team of specialists will address all aspects of recovery – physical, psychological, and lifestyle – giving people the best chance to live a full, healthy life. The centre will also provide whole-of-family therapy, vital for the ongoing treatment and recovery of those with eating disorders.
The centre is expected to be completed in late 2024.
Community benefit
Every quarter in NSW, more than 1600 people with an eating disorder seek care from a hospital, mental health service, or emergency department. Eating disorders are complex illnesses with one of the highest mortality rates among psychiatric conditions.
The centre will provide NSW residents over the age of 16 access to specialist services for eating disorders.
While it is a step down from in-patient hospitalisation after medical and nutritional stabilisation, it is a step up from day programs or community-based care for those needing a more intensive approach.
Project progress
- The project was announced in April 2022.
- The concept design for the centre was released in September 2022.
- The Review of Environmental Factors (REF) was published in December 2022.
- Graph Builders started work on site in February 2023, with establishment of site sheds, land clearing, and mine grouting in preparation for the main build.
- Start of main works was announced in September 2023.
- Construction is expected to be completed by late 2024.