[Status: In progress]

[Client: Department for Infrastructure and Transport, Southern Adelaide Local Health Network (SALHN)]

[Size: 1,100m²]

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Flinders Medical Centre – Marjorie Tripp Ward

Bedford Park, South Australia

New Perspectives

The Marjorie Tripp Ward at Flinders Medical Centre (FMC) is a refurbishment of an existing administration area to create a specialised ward for the Older Persons Assessment and Liaison (OPAL) Unit and Residential Care Outreach Team (RCOT). The clinical intent was to co-locate these two services that are currently dispersed across the facility.

STH collaborated with ARM Architecture to deliver this project. The design team skillfully navigated through the existing building fabric, structural limitations, and overcame services constraints to create a new purpose built 20 bed facility comprising of:

Eight single bedrooms (including provision for bariatric patients)
Five shared bedrooms
Diversional therapy space
Patient lounge

The calming colour palette and graphics have been carefully considered for the patient cohort who may be experiencing increasing or worsening cognitive impairment and behaviours of concern.

The Ward is designed to accommodate patients aged 65 and older. Patient lifting tracks have been incorporated into the design to the extent possible.

Dementia Friendly Principles have been incorporated to promote independence and create spaces that are warm, inviting and safe. Some of these initiatives include:

Tonal contrast between fittings
Optimisation of helpful stimulation
Inclusion of walking and destination pathways for patient activity

Support spaces are distributed centrally to improve efficiency and access. Staff areas are maximised to incorporate multi-disciplinary care teams.

The design enhances biophilia and connection to nature optimising the extent of glazing and views within the constraints of the existing footprint.

The ward is named in the honour of equal rights activist and distinguished servicewoman Marjorie Tripp AO.