Sandstone Healthcare's second site marks a significant chapter in a 20-year journey delivering community-focused healthcare in South East Queensland.
Located within YG Riverside Village, the 500m² Level 1 fitout brings a future-focused general practice to a rapidly growing inner western corridor community, a very different community to Inala, where Sandstone's story began, but one presenting the same need for comprehensive, personalised care.
“After twenty years doing the right things by the good people of Inala, it feels like we are growing up to launch a new practice at Yeerongpilly,” says Sandstone Healthcare CEO Tracey Johnson. “The best part about a second site is that we have been able to learn from our past, dream big and design something which we believe will service the Yeerongpilly community for the next 20 years, using a very different model of care.”
Having two sites has also changed how Sandstone's team works. “It eases the load for our team,” Tracey says. “They can work with patients who can afford to pay gaps and still deliver the same high-quality care in a community dependent upon bulk billing, because most people live in social housing. One site uses interpreters every hour of the day, the other is full of highly educated patients still keen on a conversation about what matters to them. Serving people however they need it is what we are about, no matter where we are.”
An ongoing relationship, translated into design
Elevation Architecture has worked with Sandstone Healthcare across multiple sites over many years, and Yeerongpilly represents the most complete realisation of that relationship. “Elevation have come to know us. Not just who we are but what we believe and what we strive for,” Tracey says. “They have sensitively translated that into the design and specifications for our site. Working at Yeerongpilly is such a breeze because everything from the lighting to the furniture specification fits our need.”
“Best of all, when we were busy and hard to contact, the architects kept the build running and made daily decisions we could not fault. Their project management was as good as their design,” she says. For Tracey, it was also her first experience leading a multi-million-dollar fitout. “The team answered my questions in ways which built my confidence and made me feel part of the process, not a cog in a machine.”
Walking into a space that feels like a day spa
The 500m² fitout includes 10 consulting rooms, two treatment rooms, two allied health rooms, a flexible meeting room and a pathology collection centre, all integrated within a live retail precinct, delivered ahead of schedule by builder FARA Construction.
“The site feels like a day spa,” Tracey says of walking through the finished space. “It is calm. It is well but warmly lit. It seems to honour you as it opens up. For the team, it is an easy place to work because the design reflects workflows, a smooth and seamless operation which we can grow into. Most of all, it is beautiful. It says we respect our patients and we really care.”
“Is this a wellness centre?”
Ahead of opening day, a supplier walked through the space and asked a simple question: was this a wellness centre? “It was the intended effect,” Tracey says. “We have had so many new patients comment to us in person and online that this is a medical centre unlike any they have experienced. You can be caring, patients expect that. You can listen. That should go without saying in a service sector. However, when you do that in a building which is inviting and has those extra touches, it reinforces what our team do. Patients notice. They give us great reviews and keep coming back.”
Advice for other healthcare providers
Looking back across the full journey with Elevation, Tracey's advice to any healthcare provider considering a new space is simple: “Find a team that takes the time to understand your model of care and aspirations before they pick up a pencil. The best spaces we have come from conversations, not briefs. Work with someone patient enough to move things around, and around, and around until everyone is happy the design is optimised.”
“Elevation has always been genuinely curious about what we're trying to achieve for our patients and our teams, and that curiosity shows in the finished result. Don't underestimate how much the right design partner matters. They are part of our family now. We look forward to our next site being renovated or constructed with their help.”