The upgrade - one of the biggest in Modbury Hospital's history - will help ease the burden for cancer and mental health patients in Adelaide's north-eastern suburbs.

The $117m expansion will include:

• A state-of-the-art Mental Health Precinct including 24 rehabilitation beds and a 20-bed Older Persons Mental Health Unit – boosting the hospital’s overnight bed capacity by 20 per cent.
• A new cancer centre, featuring 12 chemotherapy chairs, seven outpatient consulting rooms and three interview rooms to support nursing, pharmacy education and clinical trials.
• A new five-storey car park with more than 300 car spaces.

Due for completion in December 2025, the mental health rehabilitation beds will support adults who need longer stays in hospital for therapeutic and rehabilitative care, under a model that provides therapy in a specially designed living space to support daily activities. 

Divided into two 12-bed pods, the Mental Health Rehabilitation Unit will feature four interview rooms, kitchens and communal dining areas, a gym, external courtyard spaces for each of the pods and two clinical open-plan offices and a staff lounge.

The Older Person's Mental Health Unit - which will see the existing Older Persons Acute Mental Health Service currently located at the Lyell McEwin Hospital moved to Modbury - will offer specialist mental health support to older people aged 65 and above.

The unit will be split into two – a 12-bed open pod, and an eight-bed pod for high dependency clients. It will feature interview, sensory modulation and family and visitor rooms, along with an internal courtyard space for each pod and a landscaped area.

The cancer centre will be accessible via a separate dedicated entrance.

When complete in December 2025, it will be the first time in a decade that cancer services are delivered at Modbury Hospital.

Currently, public hospital patients living in north-eastern suburbs attend Lyell McEwin Hospital or other metro-Adelaide hospitals for chemotherapy.  

The car park is scheduled for completion in September 2025.

Northern Adelaide Local Health Network Acting Chief Executive Karen Puvogel said the project marked “an exciting milestone in the history of Modbury Hospital”. 

“By increasing our services, we can ensure our community can access the mental health and cancer support they need, on their doorstep,” Ms Puvogel said.

“The introduction of a multi-level carpark is something that our staff have also been requesting for some time. I am delighted that we can deliver on this for them and make it easier for our patients and their loved ones to come to the hospital."