A New Aeromedical Precinct for Brisbane
Thoughtfully designed environments are not simply about buildings and finishes; they can support the people working within them and improve the experience of those receiving care and, in critical moments, help save lives.
Image courtesy of Royal Flying Doctors
A Site Tour
Courtesy of NAWIC and ADCO Constructions, I had the pleasure of touring the Brisbane Aeromedical Precinct construction site located at the Brisbane Domestic Airport.
The Precinct. The only facility of its kind in Australia, it will fill an important gap in transporting patients from regional Queensland and northern Australia to hospital for specialist treatment.
Image courtesy of Royal Flying Doctors
The Patient Experience
During this site visit, a Royal Flying Doctor Service aircraft landed on the tarmac where it was met by a road ambulance to transfer a patient to hospital. It brought the importance of the new facility into sharp focus.
The transfer between aircraft and ambulance is a critical stage of a patient's journey. Monitoring equipment must be disconnected and reconnected, the patient is physically moved between aircraft and ambulance, and medical teams must exchange vital clinical information. In some circumstances, the patient may also need to be stabilised before the ambulance can leave the secure airport area and travel to the hospital best equipped to treat their condition. On that day and for this specific patient, that process took an hour to complete.
What surprised me was learning that this currently takes place on the airport tarmac, exposed to the sun, wind and rain, as well as the noise and activity of the surrounding airport, over 7000 times per year.
As someone who works in healthcare and sees how hard medical professionals work for their patients, it's heartening to know these teams will soon have a purpose-built environment to provide the best possible care for patients and better working conditions for medical teams.
For patients and their families, who are often experiencing one of the most frightening and difficult days of their lives, this important transfer and handover will also be more comfortable.
New On-Site Care
The new precinct will include clinical facilities capable of providing lifesaving treatment, with doctors and nurses delivering care on-site 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
This site visit was a powerful reminder that thoughtfully designed environments are not simply about buildings and finishes; they can support the people working within them and improve the experience of those receiving care and, in critical moments, help save lives.
Thank you to NAWIC and ADCO Construction for the opportunity to visit such an important project and learn more about the extraordinary work happening behind the scenes.