A new clinic can look ready well before it works. The couch is in, the waiting room is furnished, and then the first morning shows the fridge is in the wrong place, the light can’t reach the couch or the stool is too low for the procedure. This guide covers planning the large equipment for a new clinic or fit-out: what to buy, in what order, and what to check before opening day.
Start with your services
Equipment should follow the services you’ll provide. A GP clinic, physiotherapy practice, skin clinic, aged-care service and vaccination clinic may all need a couch, but the type, quantity and specification differ. List the procedures your team will do in the first six months: consultations, wound care, injections, specimen collection, minor procedures, mobility support and any specialised treatment. Then note the furniture and equipment each one needs.
This avoids the two usual mistakes: buying specialised equipment that’s rarely used, and under-specifying the rooms that work hardest.
Plan room by room
Planning by room is more reliable than ordering by category. Draw a simple layout for each space and think about how a clinician, patient and cleaner move through it.
Consult and treatment rooms
- A couch or procedure chair that suits your typical patients, tasks and floor space. Consider working height, safe working load, cleanable upholstery and whether electric adjustment is worth it. See our treatment couch guide and chair or couch guide.
- An examination light positioned to reach the couch: mobile, wall or ceiling mounted. See examination lights.
- A stool at the right height for the couch. See medical stools.
- A trolley for the items used most, if supplies move between rooms. Trolleys clutter quickly without a defined restocking routine. See medical trolleys.
- Clear access to hand hygiene, PPE and waste disposal.
Treatment and procedure areas
Procedure rooms usually need more space around the patient, a brighter light, an instrument or dressing trolley, and possibly an emergency trolley within reach. Our guide to treatment room workflow covers layout in detail.
Storage and cold chain
Plan a stockroom with separate zones and shelving that keeps stock off the floor. If you store vaccines or refrigerated medicines, choose a purpose-built medical fridge and plan its position, power point and ventilation before ordering. See choosing a medical fridge.
Mobility and access
Consider whether you need a wheelchair for moving patients, a bariatric-rated couch or chair in at least one room, and doorways and turning space that work for wheelchair users.
Buy in three tiers
- Essential from opening day: examination furniture, lights, stools, the fridge if you store cold stock, and the trolleys your procedures need.
- Efficiency and patient experience: extra trolleys, more seating, storage, privacy screens, backup equipment and transfer aids.
- Expansion: higher-volume procedure equipment, spare furniture and niche items, unless they’re part of a confirmed service. Buying early can tie up cash and storage.
Make compliance part of the purchase
Before ordering, confirm each item suits its intended use, comes with clear documentation and instructions, and is suitable for Australian healthcare settings. Keep specifications, instructions and warranty details with your asset records, and plan electrical safety testing and servicing for powered equipment. If you’re seeking accreditation, check the standards that apply to your practice, such as the RACGP Standards for general practice, early in planning.
Standardise where it makes sense
Using the same couch, stool or trolley model across similar rooms simplifies training, parts and replacement. Keep variation where a room genuinely needs something different, such as a procedure chair or a bariatric couch.
Plan delivery before the opening date
Large equipment needs a delivery plan: measure doorways, corridors, lifts and stairs, and confirm someone can receive and sign for each delivery. Allow time for assembly, positioning and testing before patients arrive. Our Delivery page explains how large items are delivered and priced.
Run a readiness check
Before opening, walk a patient’s journey from reception to consult room, treatment area and exit. Check that equipment is assembled, tested and positioned safely, that staff can reach what they need without leaving a patient, and that the fridge has reached and held its range with alarms tested.
Fitting out with Kontact
Our new clinic setup page lets you build an equipment list room by room and send it as one quote request, with delivery to your postcode priced before you pay. Buying for a business? See trade accounts.
