The ACT Government will set up a new consumer reference group to help co-design all health infrastructure projects – including the new northside hospital that the ACT Government intends to build on the site of Calvary Public Hospital Bruce.

Rachel Stephen-Smith, ACT Minister for Health, said the group will provide expert advice and guidance to government, to ensure that health infrastructure projects in the ACT consider the needs of healthcare consumers and carers.

The consumer group will be led by the Health Care Consumers’ Association (HCCA), and will collaborate with clinicians and the wider community. It will help coordinate and oversee consumer and carer engagement on health infrastructure projects in the ACT, advising on design, accessibility, safety, and amenities.

Community and stakeholder consultation on the design of the new northside hospital is expected to begin later this year.

“The ACT Government is committed to working with and listening to consumers and carers to ensure our health facilities are safe, welcoming, and accessible for patients, carers and visitors,” Ms Stephen-Smith said.

“During our community consultation on the northside hospital last year, we heard loud and clear that visitor and patient experience is critical to developing new facilities, with nearly a quarter of total feedback received relating to the design, layout and features of patient areas.”

But Canberra Liberals MLA Jeremy Hanson, acting leader of the opposition, thought Ms Stephen-Smith’s comments were hypocritical.

“It is disingenuous in the extreme for the ACT Government to pretend to be listening to anyone in the Canberra community after the disgusting way they have treated Calvary and run roughshod over democratic processes. This is just PR spin from a government that has proven untrustworthy.”

Ms Stephen-Smith said that the new consumer group builds off the Canberra Hospital Expansion Consumer Reference Group, which co-designed the Critical Services Building at Canberra Hospital.

“[Their] thorough and comprehensive work … is a fantastic example of how we can incorporate important consumer and carer feedback into design,” Ms Stephen-Smith said.

“Some of this feedback has included simple but very useful and functional patient room design improvements, including dedicated consumer power points, dimmable lights, and accessible toilets with electronic doors.”

The Consumer Reference Group was established in late 2019 to ensure the voices of patients, carers and families were heard. That group finalised its work late last year.

Some of the design elements influenced by the group include:

• Better patient rooms (carer zones and beds, dimmable lighting, and dedicated consumer power points in practical places) 
• New family spaces (a private family respite lounge with kitchenette, meeting room, and showers; a patient and carer lounge) 
• New Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lounge (centrally located, with an outdoor space and yarning circle)
• Improved accessibility (a more accessible design in patient ensuites, service counters at wheelchair level, and more intuitive wayfinding and signage)
• Emergency Department improvements (a new reception centre for better patient flow; a kids’ play zone and a sensory room)
• Other amenities (outdoor gardens, improved public spaces, and personal storage areas)

Ms Stephen-Smith said that this successful consumer consultation process would be replicated in the early planning and ongoing design of the new northside hospital.

“The new consumer group is an opportunity to build on lessons learned and ensure the needs of consumers are reflected as we continue to deliver significant health infrastructure projects across the ACT,” she said.

Expressions of interest for the health infrastructure community reference group will be advertised in the coming weeks. The group will be up and running before the end of the year.

“We’re excited to partner with the ACT Health Directorate to start a new consumer group focussed on health infrastructure,” said Darlene Cox, executive director of the HCCA. “This group will help to ensure that the needs of consumers and carers are heard, and become part of the design of our new health buildings. HCCA has a long history of involvement with health infrastructure design, including bringing consumer input to the University of Canberra Hospital, community centres, and the current Canberra Hospital Expansion Project.

“We look forward to taking what we’ve learned, and hearing from community members, to shape new health projects including the northside hospital.”