Secretary of State opens Newcastle Surgical Training Centre at Freeman Hospital
John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills visited the Freeman Hospital today where he learnt more about some of the innovative developments currently being led by the Newcastle Hospitals before officially opening the UK’s leading advanced surgical skills facility - the Newcastle Surgical Training Centre.
Mr Denham spent over an hour at the hospital after being greeted by the Trust’s Chairman, Kingsley Smith, and Chief Executive, Sir Leonard Fenwick, and receiving a series of presentations led by some of the Trust’s leading clinicians. Mr Denham heard how the Trust is building upon both existing and new partnerships with regional leaders in healthcare, research, life sciences and development agencies to help realize a number of exciting and ambitious new plans to help provide modern, safe and improved healthcare services for patients.
Firstly he heard how the Trust is stepping up to the challenge recently laid down by the Department of Health to increase transplant surgery activity through its vision of developing a dedicated £28m Institute of Transplantation, working closely with the Institute of Cellular Medicine based in the Faculty of Medicine Sciences at Newcastle University and other key partners.
He also heard of ambitious redevelopment opportunities currently in the pipeline for the Newcastle General Hospital site where there are well established plans to create a unique Campus of Ageing and Vitality, again working in close partnership with Newcastle University and Newcastle Science City. Together with retail plans for the site, this development would enable major regeneration of the surrounding neighbourhood and attract major investment into the local economy with the creation of jobs in the biomedical and research sectors.
Mr Denham then officially opened the Newcastle Surgical Training Centre, the UK’s only purpose built, hospital sited surgical centre to carry a formal licence from the HTA (Human Tissue Authority) allowing it to utilize donated human tissue in the training of leading edge surgical techniques.
During a short tour of the unit, the Co-directors of the Training Centre, Consultant Surgeons Mr David Deehan and Mr Alan Horgan were able to demonstrate how this unique, state of the art surgical skills training facility is providing advanced education and training currently unavailable anywhere else in the country today. Mr Denham heard how other hospitals across the country are developing plans to acquire HTA licences to develop a facility such as the Newcastle Surgical Training Centre in Oxford, Liverpool, Wrightington and Warwick but Newcastle is ahead of the field with surgeons coming from all over the country and abroad.
Mr Denham said “I was really pleased to open the Newcastle Surgical Training Centre – the only one of its kind in the UK – which will lead the way in advanced surgical skills. Having the opportunity to speak with professionals who are at the frontline of innovation, research and training and hearing what they have to say was incredibly important. By doing so, I believe we can inform a new industrial policy.
"We can target support for research and innovation in growth industries, such as health and life sciences, anticipate the future demand for skills, open access to funding and scrap unnecessary bureaucracy. It’s only by taking action now that we will avoid the mistakes of the last recession and make sure the North East and the UK as a whole emerges stronger from the downturn and can take advantage of the upturn when it comes.”
To further enhance and extend the scope of this hugely successful training centre, the Newcastle Hospitals are now also developing a Translational Research Facility, to be located adjacent to NSTC and providing the UK’s very first combined research and training facility right here in Newcastle.
This £1.4m research facility (with funding of £800k provided by ONE North East) will greatly facilitate collaborative working and sharing of new and innovative ideas between biomedical experts from Newcastle, Durham and Northumbria Universities as well as healthcare industry who will help to develop and manufacture commercially viable products here in the North East, rather than in Europe as is currently the case.
Working together, the NSTC and Translational Research Facility will oversee the development of new training courses based on the outcomes of research projects - all providing leading edge skills for surgeons and ultimately ensuring the very best clinical outcomes for patients.
