Being a parent is a wild ride, perhaps the wildest, so Subiaco’s newest health centre is a welcome addition to provide much needed support.
Doctor Leon Levitt has been an industry favourite for over 30 years, his gentle care and understanding of the challenges parents face has been a welcome relief to so many. As a General Practitioner (GP) Obstetrician he has spent his career looking for ways to make the parenting journey less stressful and more joyful.
Nine years ago, he stepped out of the delivery room and into his own practice, a birthing of a different sort as Baby Steps Health Centre first came into the world in Wembley. Leon had seen an industry gap where parents were travelling all over the city (or state for rural patients) for various early parenting needs.
“Leon wanted to create a centre where mothers in particular could come and every single thing they needed was in that one place,” Baby Steps Creative Manager Emma Dixon explained. “It started as an early parenting practice with GPs, specialists for breastfeeding and women’s health physiotherapists.”
However, it quickly expanded to cope with the growing demand for specialists and frustrations at inordinately long waitlists to see them.
“Children with food allergies were being referred to dermatologists but then left on waitlists for two years with no help,” Emma said. “So, Dr Levitt worked with Perth Children’s Hospital to train the doctors in these areas so while patients waited for specialists, GPs could assist or guide patients towards allied health practitioners that can improve their situations immediately.”
As Baby Steps evolved, it became clear more space would be needed to house the variety of practitioners Leon wanted to attract. Subiaco was the ideal location as a medical hub, surrounded by some big players like St John of God Subiaco, Perth Children’s Hospital and King Edward Memorial Hospital.
“We chose Subiaco, at least partly, due to the proximity to the hospitals because our specialists here want to be within the medical network,” Emma said. “Subiaco is also so accessible, our new practice is right next to the train station, so patients who are travelling from afar can access us easily.”
The list of specialists who work from Baby Steps has grown to include nine GPs, two paediatricians, five occupational therapists, five clinical psychologists, four speech pathologists, three paediatric physiotherapists, a paediatric continence physiotherapist, a paediatriatic dietitian, three lactation consultants, a sleep consultant, a musical therapist, a genetic counsellor and more on the way.
Each operate as consultants, with the Baby Steps administration all taken care of so the specialists can come in and purely focus on caring for their patients.
Practice Manager Michelle Bredemeyer says there are zero KPIs (key performance indicators) for their staff, a stark contrast to many GPs who are forced to churn through patients.
“Being a doctor can be a stressful profession, so we want our doctors to be in an environment where they feel supported too, where their job is to look after their patients and not worry about anything else,” Michelle said. “Our patients are people, not numbers and we want each of them to feel prioritised.”
Beyond expanding spatially, Emma (also Leon’s daughter) and Michelle wanted to design the new location to embody all of Leon’s philosophies of nurturing new parents from the moment they walked in the door.
“We designed everything to feel nurturing for the parents,” Emma said. “Instead of bright colours that might appeal to children, the colours in reception are calming and the artwork was chosen to inspire parents to create with their children.”
“The look and feel of our reception is something special, our receptionists are smiley and happy so when you walk in the door, the first thing you’ll see is a smiling face,” Michelle added.
And when you leave? Michelle and Emma agree, it’s all about feeling valued.
“Like Leon’s vision for all of his patients, when patients leave Baby Steps they’ll have a solution to their problem and the support they need,” Emma said.
“When they leave Baby Steps, our patients will feel heard and cared for,” Michelle said.
Welcome to the ‘hood, Baby Steps, we’re so glad you’re here.
To have Dr Leon’s advice in your home permanently, he has a beautiful book What do I do now? The basics of parenting babies … without stress with a variety of uber-comforting parenting strategies.
Copies are available from Baby Steps, located at Level 1/50 Subiaco Square Road.
