The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne

Ensuring patient-centric outcomes are at the heart of the built asset

The Royal Children’s Hospital is a major, stand-alone, paediatric hospital based in Melbourne, Australia. It is closely aligned with the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and provides clinical, academic and advocacy services for children and young people throughout the state of Victoria and surrounding areas.

The existing buildings have become unsuitable for the complex, high-technology, multidisciplinary care now provided for children. The facilities do not support families in the manner expected of a world-class children’s institution and have struggled to keep pace with the rapid expansion of same day and ambulatory services.

A consortium, Children’s Health Partnership, was recently appointed to provide a new, state-of-the-art facility to ensure the best possible outcomes can be realised. Occupying a 4.1 hectare site, the new 165,000 square metre Royal Children’s Hospital will incorporate 360 beds and accommodate 35,700 admissions per annum.

The $1 billion facility will be purpose-built for children and the way they are cared for now and in the future. It is one of the first PPP schemes in Australia and the largest hospital project undertaken in Victoria. EC Harris acted as healthcare planners for the successful consortium.

Creating solutions

The EC Harris team provided detailed consultancy on how to ensure patient-centric outcomes were at the heart of the new built-asset, a key factor in the successful bid.

The project will incorporate the latest innovative health concepts from around the world, providing new ‘Models of Care’ incorporating:

• Evidence based design principles
• Family centred design
• Environmentally sustainable design
• Introduction of daylight and nature into work and health care settings
• Co-location of clinical, research and education facilities.

It will be one of the first children’s hospitals outside the US to provide the majority of beds (85%) in single bedrooms. It is unique in extending this principle to the paediatric critical care environment and the neonatal units where all beds and cots will be provided in single rooms.

Patient bedroom designs include three zones (clinical, patient and family) that respond to the emotional needs of children and help enhance patient experience and recovery rates.

Children can personalise their space and feel their bedroom is a safe and personal haven. The new hospital will be surrounded by parkland: 80 per cent of all patient rooms will have views of the park, courtyards and gardens.

A central ‘street’ allows intuitive way-finding and creates a social heart for the hospital. Oriented to the north, the light-filled street binds the campus-like arrangement of buildings together, offering views of the parkland setting and the Melbourne skyline. A two storey coral reef aquarium will bring nature into the heart of ‘The Street’, and the hospital has entered into a partnership with Melbourne Zoo to provide a programme of attractions for children in the new facility.

A key feature of the design is the extent of provision for parents and siblings and the extended family including a resource centre with a parents’ education facility, a supermarket and gymnasium and a 90 room hotel facility for extended stays.

The scheme provides state-of-the-art facilities for teaching and research within clinical areas and between the hospital’s research partners - the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and the University of Melbourne, Department of Paediatrics.

Adding value

Crucial to the successful bid was ensuring that the design solution translated the service vision and project objectives into a physical reality. EC Harris’ work with the consortium and design team ensured a physical environment which:

• Supports family centred care and is culturally and spiritually sensitive to the needs of children of all ages
• Utilises its design and location in the park to provide a healing environment for patients, families and staff, and community users of the park
• Is operationally efficient, optimising the use of people and resources, capable of achieving service plan targets and sustaining service levels into the future
• Harnesses evidence based design to create an environment that enhances patient safety and clinical excellence
• Has flexible infrastructure capable of: adapting to new technologies and emerging trends in paediatric healthcare; changes in clinical-practice, models of care and government policy
• Engenders an active learning environment and provides appropriate facilities for teaching and research within clinical areas and between key education and research partners
• Is achieved through a constructive relationship with users, staff and local communities.

With this development, The Victoria Government has reinforced its commitment to ensuring that the Royal Children’s Hospital continues to provide world-class child and adolescent healthcare as well as reinforcing its position as an international leader in research and education.

EC Harris is currently actively involved as advisors to both consortia and government on other major PPPs in Australia, including the 800 bed New Royal Adelaide Hospital and Sunshine Coast Hospital, Brisbane.

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