Adult Acute Inpatient Unit

An updated revision of HPU 340 Adult Acute Inpatient Unit (Revision 8, August 2025) has been uploaded. The revised version has been informed by extensive consultation with clinical, operational and technical experts, as well as consumer representatives.

Key changes to the document include:

• Inclusion of overarching planning and design principles.
• Updated information relating to design strategies to enable staff to feel safe and supported, with acknowledgement of workforce shortages and challenges associated with changing patient profiles.
• Revised guidance relating to virtual models of care, acknowledging its continual growth in line with innovations in technology and integral role in clinical operations and staff education.
• Enhanced guidance relating to high or close observation units and short stay units with an anticipated length of stay of up to 48 hours.
• Inclusion of design strategies for units accommodating patients experiencing extreme behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD)
• Updated information relating to the recommended proportion of single versus multibed rooms based on a review of recent literature, consultation with clinicians and operational experts, and outcomes from recent hospital developments. It is recommended that 50-60% single bedrooms is an appropriate allocation for most acute medical and surgical inpatient units.
• Consideration of evolving technologies associated with nurse call systems.
• Emphasis on the need to carefully consider the location of structural columns and service risers, and the impact on functionality of bedrooms and support areas when developing the overall unit configuration.
• Consideration of waste recycling processes at all stages including dirty utility rooms, disposal rooms and loading docks. Clarification is noted that where multiple units are sharing a disposal room the area allocation must be multiplied accordingly to provide sufficient space.
• Minor updates to the Schedule of Accommodation with the inclusion of optional bays for workstations on wheels (WOWs), set of practice stairs, and handwashing basin close to the staff room.