Salzburg completes new psychiatry building

Salzburg’s Christian Doppler Clinic has completed a new psychiatry building that brings several wards under one roof, including services for older people, ORF reported.

The number of beds available for older psychiatric patients has almost doubled. The new facility is designed to provide treatment and therapies in one location instead of sending patients between eight different sites, said Wolfgang Aichhorn, head of the department.

The ward also has a small garden on the first floor. Patient rooms provide enough space for walking frames and wheelchairs, allowing patients to move around independently, said Nina Leiber, the psychiatry nursing director.

The facility is expected to meet growing demand. About 500 patients aged over 70 are admitted to the Christian Doppler Clinic each year for psychiatric problems. These include cognitive decline and dementia, behavioural disorders, anxiety disorders, psychotic illnesses and depression.

All positions at the new psychiatry unit have been filled, officials said at its public presentation. Daniela Gutschi, Salzburg’s health councillor, said the staffing shortages currently affecting the psychiatric units in Braunau and Schwarzach showed that this could not be taken for granted.

The building was completed within its budget of 24.5 million euros. A separate building for forensic psychiatry, which is more than 100 years old, is also due to be replaced. The department is expected to move into a new building by the end of 2026.