Northern Rivers University Department of Rural Health

Head of Discipline
Dr John Beard
Location
NRUDRH, Lismore

The most recent of the Faculty of Medicine's rural initiatives is the Northern Rivers University Department of Rural Health (NRUDRH). Funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, the NRUDRH is based in Lismore and will be administered in collaboration with Southern Cross University. The Department will link closely with the Broken Hill University Department of Rural Health and the Dubbo Clinical School.

The long-term objectives of the NRUDRH are:

• To increase recruitment and retention of health care workers in the region by providing increased and better supported training opportunities for students and by improving academic links for local clinicians
• To improve the quality of regional health services by providing continuing education opportunities for existing health professionals and by supporting health research that is relevant to local needs
• To develop innovative models of service delivery to meet the identified health needs of the Northern Rivers community.

The NRUDRH covers the area bounded by the Queensland border to the north, the Great Dividing Range to the West and the city of Coffs Harbour in the south. This area includes towns such as Lismore, Tweed Heads, Grafton, Byron Bay, Ballina and Casino.

The NRUDRH links closely to the Southern Cross Institute of Health Research, a joint venture of Southern Cross University and the Northern Rivers Area Health Service with a track record of grant success and scientific publication. By developing teaching capacity alongside this existing initiative, the proposal provides a valuable rural centre capable of delivering both quality training and rigorous research in a framework focusing on population health needs and evidence-based care.

Latest Developments
The NRUDRH is currently in the establishment phase (Sept 2001-June 2002) with a focus on infrastructure development and the development of multidisciplinary strategies to meet identified regional need. A key focus of the NRUDRH will be IT links and one of the first strategies will be to be to link potential preceptors and health facilities with the NRUDRH itself, library facilities, SCU and the medical education network (MedEdNet) of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Sydney. These links will be maintained through videoconferencing, teleconferencing and high-speed Internet access. Other infrastructure priorities will be office and student accommodation.

During the establishment phase, the NRUDRH will also improve coordination of existing student placements and student coordinators have been appointed in Lismore and Tweed. These positions will cover all health disciplines and students from all universities undertaking placements in the Northern Rivers area.

The NRUDRH will apply a population focus to program development. Alongside infrastructure development, another key component of the establishment phase will be to undertake a needs analysis and asset inventory of the Northern Rivers region. Having identified key areas of need, a number of workshops will be held bringing together health practitioners from a range of disciplines to identify appropriate early strategies for the NRUDRH. A project officer will be appointed to oversee this process. This consultative process will lead to a strategic plan being developed outlining long-term directions for the Department.

Separate funding has also been provided to the Department to explore opportunities for offering some of the Faculty's postgraduate units, in particular the Grad Dip in Pop Health Research Methods, within the Northern Rivers region.

The Department's strategic plan identifying long-term directions will be developed following extensive consultation and a comprehensive needs assessment. However, it is expected to include:

• Better coordination of training for undergraduate and postgraduate students
• Support and training for preceptors
• Strategies to address Indigenous Health issues
• Strategies responding to population health needs
• A research plan
• Strategies that tend to be relevant to several disciplines

Clinical academic appointments will also be explored for local clinicians involved in teaching, and educational programs will be established to provide training in problem-based learning tutoring, supervision and assessment.

John Beard
Head of Discipline

Mobile: 0418 661456
E-mail: