By Jay Johnson, Project Manager.
Transforming the existing SPORTSMED Stepney site into a state-of-the-art healthcare hub that provides a one-stop-shop for patients, while minimising impact to ongoing site access, was not a simple task.
As a Project Manager, I’m passionate about what I do. To ensure we delivered results of the highest quality, it was critical that we worked closely with SPORTSMED Stepney to understand and support the needs of their patients. That’s why I’m particularly proud of our work on their recent expansion.
While the existing facility continued operations, 5 separate tenancies were developed. Three of these – Dr Jones & Partners, Clinpath and Terry White Chemists – were fitted out by the tenants’ own contractors under Sarah’s supervision.
This expansion makes it possible for patients to undertake their entire healthcare journey from diagnosis and treatment (including hospital stay) through to rehabilitation, all in one location.
A stress-free experience for the client
With multiple contractors on site, including those completing the individual fitouts for Terry White, Dr Jones, and Clinpath, it was important that the entire process be managed on SPORTSMED’s behalf.
Without Sarah managing that process, there would have been 5 different builders working inside a shell without an end target, or a consistent focus on quality, time and money.
From quality control to compliance with statutory regulations, car parking, staging and safety, Sarah ensured that the project ran smoothly. This meant SPORTSMED could concentrate on servicing their patients.
The entire project was run to best suit SPORTSMED Stepney operations. Of course, this was challenging at times. The power shutdown, for example, was coordinated on a Sunday to make sure there was minimal impact to SPORTSMED. This doesn’t sound like much. However, getting a statutory body like SA Power Networks to agree to perform works on a set day within a 2 hour window is a mammoth task.
A massive amount of planning and negotiation by Sarah ensured that the power went off for 2 hours only, and was up and running again by a certain time. That was huge for us to get over the line. The client probably gave it about 2 seconds thought, which means we did our job well.
Commitment and delivery
We’ve been consistently available to provide guidance and manage any teething issues throughout the handover. That’s what Project Management is all about. It’s about problem solving. A Project Manager is there to oversee and manage issues.
Client satisfaction is one of my main focuses on a project. Completing your own construction brief is one thing. But supervising other people’s is another. But we do it to ensure the job gets done properly.
You could see on this project that everyone was passionate about what they were doing, in the amount of extra time, weekends and abnormal start times that went on.
We wanted to be there for the client. That shows how much we care about what we do.
A convenient experience for SPORTSMED Stepney patients
CEO of SPORTSMED·SA Alan Morrison made clear that the patient experience was their primary concern:
“What we are trying to do at SPORTSMED·SA is really integrate as many aspects of the patient journey into the one hub so they can transition seamlessly between them all in one episode of treatment and care.”
Working closely with Hassel Architects, the Sarah team had a clear vision of the convenience the client was trying to achieve at SPORTSMED Stepney. Patients could see the doctor, have scans at Dr Jones and Partners, have surgery in the hospital, visit Clinpath for pathology services, get their prescriptions from Terry White, and grab a coffee in the cafe while they wait for results, all in the same location.
Pride and professionalism
At the end of the day, it’s about reputation. We have a level of professionalism to which we want to be held accountable.
At Sarah, it’s our flexibility and solutions focus that adds value for our clients. And that’s really what the Stepney expansion is about for SPORTSMED. It’s about adding value for their patients.
“We’ve got the best medical care here, that’s covered. So it’s about giving our patients the very best experience, above and beyond the treatment they receive here.” CEO SPORTSMED
It’s not a fun time when you’re injured or receiving treatment, so creating a more pleasant environment with conveniences all in the one location was a job worth doing for the Sarah team.
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