patients and practice aren't affected.
· Premisesconditionslease,potential
etcetera. Consider if this property is
the right place in the long term.
goals in both the short and long term, along
with what is required to achieve those goals,
is the first step in providing a clear brief for
the redevelopment of your practice. Your brief
should include the corporate values of the
practice, the vision for the next five to 10 years,
a clear business plan and needs assessment,
and the number of health professionals you
have and will have in the future.
of the rest of the project. Your design firm
should outline this process for you, as well as
interviewing the staff, establishing a `needs
analysis' of your current space and providing
you with a final brief document for your review.
staff to obtain their ideas, expectations
and general thoughts on the potential
renovation. Remember, your staff will be the
main users of the space and will appreciate
the new environment even more if they were
involved at the development stage.
are giving your existing practice a facelift,
establishing your budget will be key to a
stress-free process. As a result of the activities
in points 1 and 2, you will be able
to determine a clear budget at this stage.
Get the designers to make a space plan of the
proposed refurbishment and provide a costing
of the works involved. You can then adjust
the budget in accordance with your situation
and expectations without wasting time by
going into a full design and documentation
process, and ending up with an unrealistic and
unachievable budget. This will save valuable
time for everyone and will set up your targets
for the project from day one.
renovation while keeping your practice open
to the public. The benefits of keeping your
practice open need to be assessed against
the practicality of completing the fit-out
works all at once. Bear in mind that if your
practice will be open during the construction
process, the works will take more time to be
completed and the disruption will last longer.
to work from two rooms instead of three?
Could you use a temporary reception
desk during the construction period?
engage a firm that has worked on in-
tenancy projects before and is able to
maintain a clean and tidy site for your
patients. Fully enclosed working areas
without noise during trading hours,