New centre planned to handle extra med students

Officials are planning a new health education centre at North Shore Hospital to cater for a looming jump in the number of medical students.

It is hoped the new centre, if approved, will help ease the shortage of doctors and nurses at public hospitals, including at the Waitemata District Health Board's North Shore and Waitakere hospitals.

The Government is increasing its annual number of medical school places by 200 over the next five years, starting with a boost of 60 in next year's intake. The annual intake was set at 365 last year.

The Waitemata board's general manager of planning and funding, Dale Bramley, said yesterday that plans for the new education, research and innovation centre would be prepared for board members to consider by April. Its size and cost were not yet known.

It would be the third phase of a new "health campus", which would have links to other health boards, primary health care organisations, universities and polytechs.

The campus would start by consolidating Waitemata's education and research activities. The second phase would be to incorporate primary care training.

If approved by the board and the new National Health Board, the new facility would complement a similar centre, expected to cost about $40 million, which the Counties Manukau board wants to develop near Middlemore Hospital to provide for healthcare innovation and an expansion in health-worker education.

Dr Bramley said the North Shore facility would differ from Middlemore's by also providing training opportunities in rural health, a significant part of the health service in Waitemata district.

As well as catering for the big increase in medical student numberss, health boards will have to provide training opportunities for many more nurses.

Dr Bramley said Waitemata was talking to nursing education providers but their future needs were uncertain.

"For the medical student increase we have had the signal from the Government. We haven't got the same assurance about nursing."

Support for the health campus has come from Auckland University, AUT University, Unitec and Massey University.

Dr Bramley said it was hoped the project would enhance the experience of health workers in training and consequently encourage them to stay long-term at Waitemata once qualified.

AUT's dean of health and environmental sciences, Professor Max Abbott, a Waitemata board member, said of the planned Health Campus: "It will assist the university to greatly expand graduate numbers across the spectrum of health professions and stimulate workforce innovation, inter-professional learning and research and collaborative practice."