The New South Wales government has confirmed that construction of the $540 million Westmead Centre for Mental Health has reached its highest point, marking a major stage in the build of what will become the state’s largest dedicated mental health facility.
A topping out ceremony was held on site to mark the achievement, celebrating progress on the 10-storey building rising within the Westmead Health Precinct in Western Sydney.
The new centre has been designed to meet growing demand for mental health care across the region by consolidating existing services into a single, purpose-built location.
Once complete, it will connect directly to Westmead Hospital and the wider health precinct through a dedicated link bridge, allowing staff and visitors to move easily between facilities.
A key function of the new centre will be enabling the relocation of inpatient and outpatient mental health services currently based at Cumberland Hospital.
When operational, the building will offer beds across a broad range of patient groups, including youth, adults, adolescents, older people and those receiving treatment for eating disorders.
The facility will also house mental health intensive care and high dependency units, a dedicated assessment area, sub-acute and non-acute beds, and a suite of multidisciplinary ambulatory and outpatient services.
This range of offerings is intended to bring together care that is currently spread across multiple sites.
Construction activity remains high, with around 440 workers on site each day.
That number is expected to rise to roughly 500 at the peak of the build.
Current work includes ongoing concrete pouring and the installation of essential building services, with the main construction phase due for completion in 2027.
The project is being delivered in partnership with Western Sydney Local Health District, while Richard Crookes Constructions is acting as the main contractor overseeing the build.
Alongside physical construction, staff and service users have begun taking part in operational transition activities.
These sessions are designed to familiarise future occupants with the layout and design of the new facility ahead of its opening, helping to smooth the eventual shift in services.
The centre’s design and scope have been shaped to align with both state and national mental health reform priorities, with the project described as supporting care that is safe, dignified, trauma-informed and recovery-focused.
Existing services at Cumberland Hospital will continue to operate as normal until the new Westmead facility is ready, and planning is already underway to manage the transition of services once construction concludes.
The move is expected to be carefully staged to minimise disruption to patients and staff during the changeover.
Beyond expanding mental health capacity, the project also has broader goals, including improved integration of services across the Westmead Health Precinct and a stronger focus on environmental sustainability in the new building’s design and operation.
