No matter what type of healthcare practice you plan to open, design is of utmost importance. Practice design is foundational to operational success, directly influencing patient care, staff efficiency, and the overall patient experience.
In this blog, we will explore common fitout oversights and how to avoid them.
Poor Planning
A lack of detailed planning often results in budget blowouts, delays, and compromises in clinical functionality.
This is why the planning phase of a fitout requires ingenuity and obsessive attention to detail. Planning for all eventualities ensures alignment between clinical needs, compliance standards, and construction timelines and budget projections.
Failure to Plan For The Future
Healthcare delivery evolves—whether through new technologies, changing patient demographics, or regulatory updates. Short-term cost-cutting often comes at the expense of long-term performance. Investing in scalable infrastructure and adaptable layouts is essential for future-proofing your practice.
Not Considering Industry Guidelines
As a healthcare practice, you are subject to strict regulations around infection control, layout and safety. These must be considered at the outset of the fitout. Failure to do so may lead to legal issues, redesign costs and delays in obtaining permits. Make sure to consult with legal experts, architects and regulatory bodies to ensure full compliance during the fitout process.
Poor Workflows
It’s important to consider how the space will be used by staff and the elements that are required when it comes to operational workflow. A poorly designed layout disrupts clinical workflows, increases operational inefficiencies, and can negatively affect patient outcomes.
Functional zoning, intuitive equipment placement, and logical traffic flow must be prioritised. For best results, consult with clinical staff and ask for input during the early planning phase.
Poor Budgeting
Having a well-defined budget is key to the success of any fitout project. Not planning for unforeseen costs or failing to budget effectively can cause major delays and financial strain. A budget for this type of project should outline transparent costings, itemised scopes of work, and contingency buffers for every element of the project plan.
Ineffective Communication
The fitout process is a collaborative effort involving the practice owners, stakeholders, staff, contractors and suppliers. Ensuring there is efficient and transparent communication is vital to ensuring deadlines are met and the project runs as smoothly as possible.
Establish consistent communication channels early. Regular updates, defined points of contact, and responsive feedback loops can prevent misunderstandings and costly errors.
Rushing The Fitout
Some practices are keen for their fitouts to be completed as soon as possible. This is understandable, but not the best approach to take. Having an unrealistic timeline may open the project up to construction shortcuts, compliance risks, and quality issues. This can also have a negative impact on those working on the fitout, causing frustration and possibly burnout.
To avoid this, it is important to focus on quality and compliance, rather than speed. It is also wise to plan in buffer time for unseen delays to ensure a smoother process and better results.
Not Thinking Of The Patient
Designing around operational needs is important—but so is ensuring a positive, stress-free patient experience.
Poorly designed waiting rooms, a lack of amenities and confined examination rooms can lead to patient dissatisfaction. Consequently, it is important to incorporate design choices that enhance accessibility, comfort, privacy, and wayfinding. Patient surveys or feedback from similar practices can offer valuable insights.
Medical Fitout Specialists
Consilo has been managing dental and medical clinic fitouts for over 30 years. We handle all aspects of your fitout project so you can focus on your patients. If you’re looking for advice or support, book a complimentary consultation online or call 1800 88 44 44 to speak with one of our fitout experts today.
