Matrescence Birthing Centre
– A Case Study
Home Birth-Informed Class 9a Birthing Centre - Gold Coast, Queensland
Executive summary
Perfect Practice partnered with Matrescence Birthing Centre to translate Australia’s first purpose-built, home birth-informed, Medicare Subsidised, Class 9a birthing centre into a clinically compliant facility on the Gold Coast. The project was conceived as a built alternative to the traditional divide between hospital-based birth and patient-led home birth: a calm, midwifery-led environment that supports physiological labour, continuity of care and patient agency while operating within a regulated healthcare setting.
Perfect Practice’s contribution extended well beyond design and documentation. The team brought healthcare strategy, clinical planning, delivery knowledge and regulatory expertise to a first-of-its-kind project, helping Shellanda Eller push forward the approval pathway for a new model of maternity care through Queensland Health. Importantly, this was not simply a model of care that had never been attempted before – there was no established pathway to approval because facilities of this kind were not permitted within the existing regulatory framework. By aligning the model of care, spatial planning, compliance documentation and stakeholder engagement from the outset, Perfect Practice helped convert an ambitious service concept into a credible, approvable and deliverable health facility.
pROJECT oVERVIEW
Sector: Healthcare Facility
Facility Type: Class 9a Stand-alone Birthing Centre
Description: Purpose-built Birthing Centre
Innovation: Advanced Maternity Care Model
PROJECT VALUE
Up to 5M
TOTAL AREA
<1000 sqm2
DELIVERY TIMEFRAME
3 months
APPROVAL
Queensland Health
CLIENT CONTEXT
Shellanda Eller, Founder and Midwife at Matrescence Birthing Centre, set out to create a maternity service that challenged the conventional model of prenatal, pregnancy, birth and postnatal care in Australia.
Her vision was a midwifery-led, continuity-of-care model for low-risk pregnancies that retained the familiarity, privacy and emotional safety associated with home birth while providing the clinical infrastructure and governance expected of a Class 9a healthcare facility.
For the client, the challenge was not simply to build a beautiful birthing centre. It was to demonstrate that a new service model could be understood by regulators, supported through Queensland Health, and delivered in a way that protected safety, compliance and clinical credibility. Perfect Practice became the partner able to bridge those worlds – translating a deeply personal model of care into a built and regulatory solution that could withstand scrutiny.
technical challenges
Matrescence presented a different kind of healthcare challenge. The facility was not a conventional hospital ward, consulting suite or day procedure centre. It required a bespoke response that could support birth, midwifery-led continuity and clinical readiness without making the environment feel institutional.
First-of-Its-Kind Model of Care
The project asked regulators, certifiers and delivery partners to consider a birthing environment positioned between home birth and hospital-based maternity care. Perfect Practice helped articulate the model in built-environment terms, showing how care pathways, room planning, staff workflows, escalation planning and patient experience could operate safely within a regulated Class 9a framework.
Class 9a Compliance
As a stand-alone healthcare facility, the centre needed to meet healthcare requirements while preserving a residential level of calm, privacy and familiarity. Perfect Practice managed this intersection by embedding compliance into the planning rather than adding it as a visible layer, ensuring clinical capability could remain immediately accessible without dominating the patient experience.
Queensland Health Approval Pathway
A key part of the project was advancing a new maternity care model through Queensland Health. Perfect Practice supported this process by preparing the design logic, documentation and clinical planning evidence needed to demonstrate how the model could operate within established safety and regulatory expectations. Perfect Practice also led the project’s site selection and feasibility planning, with the birthing centre strategically located in close proximity to the public hospital to support staff access and emergency responsiveness.
Built Environment as Clinical Infrastructure
The design treated space as an active component of care delivery. Light, noise, movement, privacy, visual cues and room sequencing were all considered as clinical inputs that influence stress, orientation, labour progression, perceived control and staff performance.
Home-Like Experience with Clinical Readiness
The interior needed to feel calm and supportive while allowing fast access to equipment, services and clinical zones. Joinery, material selection and room detailing were used to conceal clinical infrastructure without compromising function, creating an environment that supports dignity and patient agency while remaining operationally ready.
The Perfect Practice advantage
Perfect Practice entered the project at the point where the model of care still had to be made legible to the system. The team did not begin with finishes or room layouts alone; it began with the operational logic of how Matrescence would deliver safe, continuous, midwifery-led care inside a regulated facility.
Working from the model of care, Perfect Practice brought structure to a concept that had to satisfy three audiences at once: the client and clinical team, expectant families, and Queensland Health. This included strategic site selection and feasibility planning, ensuring the birthing centre was located in close proximity to the public hospital to support integrated models of care, staff access and emergency responsiveness.
THE RESULT
- A care philosophy translated into a Class 9a healthcare facility: government-supported, legislated and publicly accessible, while delivering the privacy and calm of a private birthing environment.
- Approval pathway support for a non-traditional maternity model in Australia
- Clinical capability integrated discreetly into a calm, patient-centred environment
- A credible precedent created for future alternative maternity care facilities
Regulatory Approval
Securing support for a new model of maternity care through Queensland Health was one of the most consequential milestones for the project. The regulatory task was not simply to prove that a building met code. It was to demonstrate that a midwifery-led, home birth-informed service could be planned, documented and delivered with the governance, safety and operational clarity expected of a healthcare facility.
Perfect Practice assisted Matrescence by connecting the model of care to the physical environment. The team framed the facility around patient flow, clinical escalation, infection control, staff workflow, privacy, safety and operational readiness – creating a design and documentation package that helped regulators understand how the service would perform in practice.
For Shellanda and the Matrescence team, this support was critical. Perfect Practice provided the healthcare-specific expertise, process discipline and confidence needed to keep the approval pathway moving while protecting the integrity of the original care model.
outcome
Matrescence is positioned as a new benchmark for maternity environments that place physiological birth, continuity of care and patient agency at the centre of the clinical brief. The facility demonstrates that a calm, home birth-informed experience can be planned as part of a compliant healthcare system rather than outside it.
SUMMARY OF OUTCOMES DELIVERED :
- <1000m² purpose-built Class 9a birthing centre on the Gold Coast
- Australia-first, home birth-informed maternity environment translated into built form
- Midwifery-led continuity-of-care model supported through strategic health planning
- Queensland Health approval pathway advanced for a new model of maternity care
- Clinical infrastructure integrated discreetly into calm, residential-style spaces
- Strategy, design, documentation and delivery support provided by Perfect Practice
proof of concept
Matrescence is a proof of concept for what Perfect Practice delivers when engaged not just as a designer or builder, but as a strategic healthcare partner. The project required model-of-care translation, maternity planning, Class 9a compliance, approval pathway support, spatial planning and a nuanced understanding of how environment affects clinical and emotional outcomes.
For healthcare providers seeking to establish new models of care, this case study demonstrates that approval does not begin at submission. It begins with a project structured from day one around evidence, regulation, operations and the lived experience of care. Perfect Practice’s role was to bring those elements together so the model could move from vision to viable healthcare asset.
Client testimonial
SHELLANDA ELLER – MATRESCENCE BIRTHING CENTRES, QLD
“Perfect Practice truly embraced the challenge of creating a completely unique centre tailored specifically to our service model.From the beginning, they understood that this wasn’t a standard fit-out - it required creativity, flexibility, and a deep appreciation of our vision.They were professional, collaborative, and solution-focused throughout the entire process.The end result reflects thoughtful design and genuine care in execution.
We’re incredibly grateful for their work.”
Perfect Practice & Day Hospitals Australia
Perfect Practice is a proud industry member of Day Hospitals Australia, the peak body for the Day Hospital sector. Aligned with their vision to advance day hospitals as a vital component of a sustainable Australian healthcare system, we are committed to supporting this essential industry. Our affiliation reflects our dedication to creating exceptional healthcare environments that serve both patients and providers with the highest standards of care.
