Grand Rounds Moves to Grand New Home

Wednesday 30 March 2005

Thanks to the University Department of Rural Health's (UDRH) new state of the art Multi-Disciplinary Education Centre, the doctors at Tamworth Base Hospital have a new home for their weekly Grand Rounds.

The new Multi-disciplinary Education Centre contains office facilities, tutorial rooms and a lecture theatre to be used by the Faculty of Health's UDRH. In addition, it will house a new medical library for students and the current staff of Hunter New England Area Health Service.

Dr Jane Marr, Deputy Director of Medical Education at the UDRH said, "The move to the new Multi-disciplinary Education Centre, has enabled greater numbers of specialists, general practitioners in clinical practice, hospital specialists, doctors in training and medical students to attend Grand Rounds on a regular basis."

The doctors and students at Tamworth Base Hospital have a regular Grand Round where they meet to discuss recent clinical cases, said Dr Marr. The various specialty units take it in turns to deliver a seminar to the medical staff, review recent cases and plan developments in clinical services at Tamworth Base Hospital.

Dr Marr said "A strong Grand Rounds is an important component in creating a teaching hospital environment at Tamworth Base Hospital and further cement Tamworth's role as the first rural teaching hospital in NSW."

The Multi-Disciplinary Education Centre was funded through a $2.2m grant from the Commonwealth Government with an additional $360,000 from the North-West Charitable Trust and community fundraising.

Director of UDRH, Professor Peter Jones said, "It is an outstanding facility that will provide for the education, training, recruitment and retention of health professionals in New England."

The new Multi-disciplinary Education Centre will be formally opened by The Hon Tony Abbott, Minister for Health and Ageing, on Sunday 3 April 2005 at 1pm. Media are invited to attend.

Seats in the new lecture theatre can be sponsored for $1000 each and each seat sponsor will be recognised through a plaque affixed to the seat acknowledging the sponsor's support.

For media interviews with Dr Jane Marr, contact Ms Elizabeth Ryan, Executive Officer, on (02) 6767 8463 or Director of UDRH, Professor Peter Jones on (02) 6767 8462.