RACGP-Rebirth of the Clinic

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RACGP

Through the School of Architecture and Design at RMIT, Antarctica directors Graham Crist and Brendan Jones collaborated with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners to produce the design workbook Rebirth of the Clinic.

The workbook is designed as a scrapbook in which GPs, members of the practice team and architects can write notes, draw models and share ideas on designing primary health care facilities that will meet the long term needs of patients and staff.

“Through the development of this workbook we have kept in touch with the needs of grassroots doctors and their teams to ensure the design suggestions reflect the
reality on the ground,” said Dr Huy Quoc An, a member of the RACGP National Standing Committee – GP Advocacy and Support.

RMIT Architecture program director Graham Crist notes that design is often seen as something supplementary or decorative especially in a field where there are urgent needs and urgent budget issues. “We have to articulate the fact that design isn’t a luxury item,” he says. “It’s something that can be embedded in the quality of the practice experience. And it doesn’t need to cost any more to make a difference.”

Good design considers the current challenges for general practices, such as the increasing size of multidisciplinary teams, educational needs within the practice, the
streamlining of chronic and acute care, and the importance of safety for patients and staff.

“There’s no reason why someone can’t bring design principles into a very minor refit,” says Crist. “We saw GP clinics designed by doctors where they’d done a fantastic job refitting a house and making something quite special with no major spatial or architectural work.”