Future health professionals present design proposal to new Bundaberg Hospital team

Final-year Occupational Therapy (OT) students have contributed to the design of the new Bundaberg Hospital, presenting a design proposal to the Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service (WBHHS) team.

The proposal was developed as part of the students’ final assessment and outlined best-practice principles from Dementia Training Australia to make recommendations could help ensure the new hospital is safer, more accessible and dementia-friendly.

OT students Dane Irvine, Tasman Harman, Mikayla Sivyer-Parkinson and Anna Smith said it had been a privilege to work on a real-life landmark project in their community.

“Knowing our ideas could help shape a space and make a real difference for families in our area was an incredibly meaningful and rewarding way to finish our degree,” the group said.

“Reviewing academic research and collaborating with the hospital and project teams gave us a glimpse into the real-world challenges and opportunities of inclusive design.

“We also conducted a survey with health professionals outside our region – it was so valuable to reflect on their feedback as we prepare to enter the workforce ourselves.”

In addition to the new hospital proposal, a second student group shared insights aimed at improving the existing hospital environment, offering practical strategies to improve current space and care delivery.

WBHHS Project Lead Clinical Services Planning and allied health professional Aimee Smith said she was impressed by the students’ comprehensive and thoughtful approach and the practical insights they’d shared with the team.

“It was encouraging to see how closely the students’ proposal aligns with our vision for creating dementia-friendly environments in the new Bundaberg Hospital,” Aimee said.

“Their insights reinforced our approach and introduced thoughtful suggestions around the design and our models of care that we’re now exploring further.

“Their outreach to health professionals in other Queensland Health facilities outside of our region also brought other valuable perspectives to the table too.

“It’s clear they’ve taken a holistic and collaborative approach to understand what works in dementia care environments, and we’re really grateful for the group generously sharing their hard work with us.”

For more information on studying Occupational Therapy at CQU, visit the course page.