Meet Alys Sommerfeld, Director of Occupational Therapy, who is playing a key role in helping to shape the design of the new Bundaberg Hospital to ensure it truly supports patient wellbeing. Drawing on her deep understanding of how people engage in daily activities, Alys is working with the design team to create environments that promote independence, recovery and meaningful participation in everyday life.
What does your role entail and how have you contributed to the design discussions?
Knowledge of environmental impacts and considerations for patients at all ages. Awareness for engagement and cognitive impairment impacts as well as physical limitations.
Why do you believe it’s important to involve local hospital staff and patients in the design of these new spaces?
Local staff are the ones who use the spaces day in/day out, therefore it is critical to understand how the wards will work operationally and the needs of the areas from current or past experience.
What have you enjoyed most about participating in the project user group workshops?
The consultation of the user groups has been great. I have enjoyed being involved and feeling heard in helping to highlight the issues currently faced so they are not repeated, and to ensure our new hospital is functionally and aesthetically pleasing.
What design elements do you feel will make a significant positive impact on patient care or staff wellbeing?
Wayfinding elements that are engaging and meaningful to the region’s populations (i.e., we have a lot of elderly population or people who have farmed the land or live by the water for example). Highlighting the local area through talking points or visual way finding opportunities would make a positive impact.
What excites you most about seeing the projects come to life?
It excites me to think we will have a modern facility to provide high level patient care being it is a level 5 hospital with extensions to our specialist services that will be on offer.
Please describe what these projects will mean for the community in one sentence.
It will bring care closer to home.
Finally, how do you maintain your health?
Thoughtful activity (exercise, activities of enjoyment, engaging with others etc.)... and coffee for my mental health :)