News

Are you an architect, designer, planner or clinician who works on/in health buildings? Interested in sharing your knowledge and experience?

Megan Phelps (PhD candidate, Sydney University) is interviewing professionals for a PhD research study. The focus is on enhancing health professional student learning using evidence-based design of health facilities.

Study title: Learning in health buildings - enhancing health professional student learning using evidence-based design

We are seeking professionals to take part in this study. Participants will be, or have been, involved in planning and designing health facilities. They may be an architect or designer, health professional, or clinical or other planner.

Taking part in this study will involve an interview for up to an hour, using Zoom technology. The interview will be recorded and transcribed for analysis. This may be face to face or using videoconferencing, at a convenient time for the participant.

This study has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) of The University of Sydney (HREC Approval No. 2024/HE000346).

Participant Information Statement: PIS professionals v1.docx

Participant Consent Form: PCF professionals v1.docx

Take Part in the Study

Image Credit: https://thepulse.org.au/2019/09/19/university-of-sydney-offers-education-opportunities-to-westmead-precinct/

Dear Members,

Formal notice has been posted (via email) of the proposed changes to the AHDC Constitution, which will be tabled for voting at the upcoming 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled for 17 October 2024.

The proposed amendments have been developed by Warren Kerr and Kate Copeland on behalf of the 2024 Committee and are recommended by the AHDC Committee for adoption through a Special Resolution.

The key details of these changes are outlined in the attached Explanatory Notes. There are six proposed amendments, and members are encouraged to review these ahead of the meeting to ensure informed discussion and decision-making.

The following documents are attached for your reference:

1. Current Constitution (March 2022)
2. Proposed Constitution (September 2024)
3. Explanatory Notes on the Proposed Changes

We look forward to your participation and input at the AGM.

We're pleased to announce the call for nominations for the Australian Health Design Council (AHDC) Committee for 2025-2027. Your active participation is essential to shape the future of healthcare design in Australia.

As a current AHDC member, your insights matter. The AHDC Committee, comprising 9 members plus the immediate past president, has 3 positions up for reelection each year. Each Committee Member is appointed for three (3) years.

Your involvement strengthens our mission to enhance healthcare environments. All members will have the opportunity to vote on the nominations, and you are all invited to the Annual General Meeting, where the new committee will be confirmed.

Nomination is open to current Individual, Student and Non-practicing Members. To nominate, follow these simple steps:

1. Complete the Nomination Form
2. Email the form to secretary@aushdc.org.au by September 20th

Please note the following dates:

• Deadline for Nominations: Friday 20 September
• Voting Period: 30 September - 11 October
• Annual General Meeting: Thursday 17 October

Thank you for being part of the Australian Health Design Council.

AHDC - Committee Nomination Form.docx

Links:

• Committee
  
• Constitution

Important committee dates:

Candidates should be aware of the following upcoming events and committee dates, in the case that they are voted in:

• Annual General Meeting - Thu 17 October, 6pm AEDT  online
• Monthly Committee Meeting - Thu 7 November, 6pm AEDT  online
• National Conference Speaker dinner - Mon 25 Nov, 6.30 pm in Sydney
• Committee dinner, Tue 26 Nov, 7.30pm in Sydney
• National Conference Dates - 26-27 Nov in Sydney
• Annual Strategy Meeting 1 - Thursday 5 December, 6pm AEDT online

Committee meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month at 6pm AEDT on Zoom.

The 2024 Australian Health Design Council (AHDC) Research Scholarship assessment panel, chaired by Morag Lee, Warren Kerr, and Harm Hollander, is pleased to award the scholarship to Chloe Piper.

Chloe Piper stood out among the candidates through a comparative analysis of all applications, which were of a high quality. Her application was distinguished by exemplary endorsements from her supervisor, a high standard of methodological detail, and robust architectural supervision. Her research aligns with AHDC’s goal of facility design-based research, with a choice of study area that is both relevant and innovative.

Chloe Piper, a PhD candidate at Deakin University’s School of Architecture and Built Environment, graduated from Deakin University with a Master of Architecture in 2011. Her professional experience spans prominent architectural firms in Melbourne, London, and Chile, covering a range of projects including cultural, educational, healthcare, office, residential, and mixed-use developments.

Her thesis, titled ‘Architecture of Compassion,’ focuses on designing healthcare environments for trauma. This research addresses the gap in trauma-informed building design, acknowledging the influence of physical environments on health outcomes. Chloe’s work explores how scientific findings related to wellbeing can inform the design of sensitive and responsive architectural spaces for individuals recovering from trauma. Her research contributes to the development of a holistic, healing-centred paradigm in architectural design.

On behalf of the AHDC, we congratulate Chloe Piper on this achievement and are pleased to announce that she will be presenting an update on her research at the National Conference held in Sydney in November.

About the Scholarship: https://www.aushdc.org.au/research-scholarship

AHDC members are invited to provide targeted feedback on the development and improvement of the Australasian Health Facility Guidelines (AusHFG).

The AusHFG Team are seeking to continue improving feedback opportunities for industry experts. Enhanced feedback loops will support ongoing improvements to the AusHFG and continued support for project teams involved in the planning, design and construction of health facilities.

Feedback on the AusHFG resources relating to Intensive Care Units and Adult Acute Inpatient Unit is currently being sought. Feedback may include suggested areas of focus for the upcoming review, relevant feedback from recent projects, and associated references and related research.

Interested members are encouraged to provide comments on the resources below via the relevant feedback forms by 31 July 2024. Please send feedback via email to Marnie Blackburn, AusHFG Program Manager. 

HPU 340 Adult Acute Inpatient Unit

HPU 360 Intensive Care Unit

Related Standard Components:

• Intensive Care
• • 1 Bed Room - Intensive Care
  • Patient Bay - Intensive Care
• Inpatient Accommodation
• • 1 Bed Room (standard, special, bariatric and isolation)
  • 2 Bed Room
  • 4 Bed Room
  • Ensuites (standard, special, accessible, shared, bariatric)
  • Anteroom

AusHFG Comments Template_AHDC.doc

Email your Feedback

AHDC members are also welcome to provide feedback relating to other AusHFG resources at any time via the AusHFG website ‘Give Feedback’ link.

We have a wide variety of events planned for 2024. Please take a look at our calendar and add these important dates to your calendar. Subscribe to our website or LinkedIn to stay updated.

Following on from the process undertaken earlier this year regarding AusHFG Operating Suite resources, the AusHFG Team are seeking to continue improving feedback opportunities for industry experts. Enhanced feedback loops will support ongoing improvements to the AusHFG and continued support for project teams involved in the planning, design and construction of health facilities.

Feedback on the AusHFG resources relating to Emergency Departments may include proposed improvements to the resources, suggested areas of focus for the upcoming review, relevant feedback from recent projects and associated references and related research. 

Interested members are encouraged to provide comments regarding the following resources via the feedback form available from the link below by 15 December 2023. This will be considered during the upcoming review process, which will be undertaken in consultation with clinical, operational and technical experts, as well as consumer representatives.

• HPU 300 Emergency Unit 

• Related Standard Components:

• • Consult Room - ENT/ Ophthalmology

  • Patient Bay, Emergency - Ambulance Triage

  • Patient Bay, Emergency - Acute Treatment

  • Patient Room, Emergency - Acute Treatment Special

  • Patient Bay, Emergency - Fast Track

  • Patient Bay, Emergency - Non-Acute Treatment

  • Patient Bay, Emergency - Resuscitation

  • Reception, Emergency

  • Triage Assessment Room, Emergency - Type 1

  • Triage Assessment Room, Emergency - Type 2

AHDC members are also welcome to provide feedback relating to other AusHFG resources at any time via the AusHFG website ‘Give Feedback’ link.

Response form

We're pleased to announce the call for nominations for the Australian Health Design Council (AHDC) Committee for 2024. The AHDC Committee, comprising 9 members plus the immediate past chair, has 3 positions up for reelection each year.

Nomination is open to current Individual, Student and Non-practicing Members. To nominate, follow these simple steps:

• Complete the Nomination Form
• Email the form to Andy Bradley by September 20th

Please note the following dates:

• Deadline for Nominations: September 20th
• Voting Period: October 2nd - 14th
• Annual General Meeting: October 19th

AHDC - Committee Nomination Form 2023.docx

AHDC is proud to continue its support for research in health design with our Research Scholarship now in its 2nd year. This unique opportunity provides a PhD or Masters student to apply for funding to specialise in the field of health facility design.

Congratulations to this year’s winner; Carla Mileo, a Master of Architecture candidate at the University of Melbourne; for her thesis on the topic on “Towards an Architecture of Healing: Sensory Approaches to Restraints and Seclusion in Mental Health Facilities.”

Research Summary

This research aims to explore how sensory design strategies can contribute to making acute

psychiatric inpatient environments more restorative and so help reduce and eliminate the

use of restraint and seclusion. This is important for at least three reasons:

1. This is an area of mental healthcare design that has been under researched
2. There is increasing societal need for evidence-based care that addresses a range of factors contributing to poor mental health, including psychological, biological and social
3. There is potential to develop effective strategies that will contribute to achieving the Royal Commission reform priority to eliminate restraint and seclusion Research findings will contribute to an increasing knowledge of best practice for mental health facility design.

Selection Committee Statement

Committee findings were especially impressed by the topic of Towards an Architecture of Healing- Sensory Approaches to Reduce Restraint and Seclusion in Mental Health Facilities, as a worthwhile pursuit of a potential enhanced practice. Carla’s methodology and the quality of her academic support team also showed the merited rigour towards the potential positive application of any findings within practice.

Learn more about our Research Scholarships.