St Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton has started construction work on C$1.3bn ($1.3bn) mental health hospital in Ontario, Canada.

The hospital will provide larger, modern facilities to integrate medicine and psychiatry, and will provide enhanced support for people and families living with mental illness and addiction.

The 800,000ft² hospital will up to 305 single person inpatient bedrooms and all associated support services.

It will contain expanded outpatient clinics for psychiatry, diagnostic imaging and medical services, as well as additional innovative research and academic spaces.

The construction is expected to be completed in summer 2014.