Updated Australasian Health Facility Guidelines (AusHFG) for planning and designing Front of House services and facilities are available.
Front of House services are patients and communities first impressions of a health facility. These are functions usually located at or near the entry such as drop off and pick up areas, main entry, information, public amenities, cultural space and admissions unit.
Informed by extensive consultation with clinical, operational and technical experts from across Australia and New Zealand, key changes in the guidelines include:
- Inclusion of a cultural acknowledgement and terminology statement in the document (to be included in all new and updated AusHFG resources).
- Acknowledgement that the Front of House is to be a culturally inclusive, safe and welcoming space, and engagement with local cultural groups is essential.
- Updated information relating to Changing Places facilities.
- Inclusion of additional information relating to safety and security considerations associated with the reception counter.
- Updated information relating to lighting, wayfinding, parking and security requirements.
- Expansion of information and communications technology considerations.
- Inclusion of key design considerations relating to outdoor cultural space.
- Updated considerations relating to retail services.
- Update to the Schedule of Accommodation (SOA) scenarios from role delineation-based scenarios to two scenarios of approximately 200 and 500 beds (for smaller facilities, HPU 350 Small Rural Hospitals / MPS can be referred to).
- General updates to the SOA, including alignment with the AusHFG standard components and acknowledgement of optional areas.