Allied services each have their own set of requirements when it comes to clinic design due to the difference patients and services they need to cater for.

For example, when it comes to Physiotherapy clinic design we need to establish which type of services you would like to offer your patients before settling on a tenancy.

Will you be offering any of the following and if so what does that mean for not only the size of tenancy you are looking at but also the location? 

ACCESS:

Good access is imperative when it comes to physiotherapy clinic design.

We need to ensure that there is easy access to your clinic no matter what your patient’s injury is.

If you are looking at a tenancy that is located on the ground floor you will need to make sure it either has an existing external  ramp or enough space to accommodate one for easy access into the building. It is a good idea to get yourself familiar with the commercial ramp guidelines in order to get a good understanding of just how much space you will need for this.

If the tenancy you are considering is on any level above the ground floor not only will there need to be lift access but also external ramp access up to that lift.

Once patients are inside your clinic you will need to make sure all consultation rooms, treatment areas and amenities are easily accessible and if you are not located within a building that already has disabled amenities you will need to accommodate for this within your physiotherapy clinic design.

FURNITURE:

Although loose furniture may not seem like a vital part of your new clinic fit out it is still important that you get it right.

Patients with different injuries and needs will be comfortable in different types of seating.

Where possible be sure to offer a mix of seating that incorporates arms for patients that may be unable to stand up easily on their own and no arms for the comfort of other patients.

Many furniture suppliers are able to provide chairs with the option of arms or no arms therefore making it easy to match the look throughout your clinic while giving your patients the benefit of choice depending on which they are more comfortable in.

LOCATION:

If you are offering hydrotherapy services to your patients you will need to make the decision on whether you will be offering this in house or in a local pool.

If you are leaning towards using a local pool you will want to make sure your clinic is located close by so patients do not have too far to travel.

Keep in mind there is a big chance a lot of your patients come to your clinic because you are local to them, so keeping any additional services local will make a big difference.

If you are hoping to hold this service in house however, you will need to consider the size of the tenancy and how much space you will need.

SIZE:

The size of your tenancy will depend on the services you would like to offer patients. And a couple of popular services such as the following can take up quite a bit of space.

Are you hoping to hold hydrotherapy in house? If so you will need to make sure there is enough room for an indoor pool area, and more importantly whether an indoor pool is possible within the tenancy you are considering.

Will you be holding mums and bubs classes? If so these rooms will need to be larger than a usual consultation/ treatment room in order to accommodate multiple participants along with enough space for babies to join in.

Will you be offering vibration therapy? If so you will need to know from the beginning which size machine you would like to purchase and whether you are going to dedicate a room to this completely or whether this will be something that can be stored in a consultation room and only used sporadically.

By adapting your physiotherapy clinic design to suit your patients needs from the moment they walk in the door you are showing care and forward thinking which will help with repeat patients and good recommendations.