The undulating Macedon Ranges have inspired the design of the new Kyneton District Health ambulatory wing that is helping to attract a raft of new services.
Kyneton Hospital was redesigned 12 years ago but needed an additional “arm” for the ambulatory care centre that opened last year.
A year on, the centre’s new consulting, rehabilitation and treatment rooms are bustling with patients and the mobility and therapy garden, which includes inclines from stairs and ramps to help those getting back on their feet, is thriving.
Chief executive Maree Cuddihy said the new modern hub had helped expand the hospital’s medical services.
“We’ve recently welcomed Dr Mark Farrugia and specialist Peter Trowbridge to provide obstetric services for local women,” Ms Cuddihy said.
“As we grow into the space, we’re finding more opportunities to deliver best care. The rehab gym has just had parallel bars installed, adding to the range of support for patients who transition from a hospital stay.
“There is also a function space, where we’ll be meeting with the community for our AGM on November 17.”
Melbourne architect Charles Wright’s brief from the Victorian Department of Health, together with Kyneton District Health, was to integrate the old wings with the new.
“We went through a number of masterplans to find the right solution,” Mr Wright said, “and came up with a scheme of two zones – one the acute zone for 24-hour hour care, the other being for day service.”
The original building continues to provide a high level of service for patients but two wings that were used as a nursing home are no longer required.
For the new wing, the Macedon Ranges were loosely interpreted in a series of forms made from compressed fibro-cement, with an internal garden separating the old and new wings. Ms Cuddihy said it was important that patients felt “at home” when they visited.
“We’ve been a part of the Macedon Ranges community for 160 years, and people right across the shire access our care in hospital and at home,” she said.
“So the design is a reminder of our connection to this great place in which we all live and work.
“The building reflects that externally and with functional features like the rehab garden.”
