Health Minister opens TPCH Library and Clinical school

Published Tuesday, 09 July, 2013 at 11:00 AM

Minister for Health
The Honourable Lawrence Springborg

Health Minister Lawrence Springborg has officially opened The Prince Charles Hospital (TPCH) Library following its relocation to a new site on the top floor of the Children’s Services wing.

The library is a new model for the hospital, designed in-house, using advanced digital technology to meet the needs of medical staff and medical students.

The headquarters of the University of Queensland (UQ) Northside Clinical School is next to the library, an educational space funded by UQ and Health Workforce Australia.

Mr Springborg said the co-location of the library and clinical school was a superb example of hospital and university collaboration to ensure doctors of the future have the best possible start to their careers.

“TPCH is internationally known as a tertiary teaching and research hospital and it is fitting that this facility can bring the students and their future mentors together in a space which lends itself to higher learning,” Mr Springborg said.

Mr Springborg said the relocation of the library was a perfect opportunity to embrace the digital age and bring it in line with international best practice.

“Technology features highly in the new facility and many journals and periodicals are now available in a digital format negating the need for hard copy reference material.”

The Northside Clinical School was established four years ago by the UQ School of Medicine and coordinates students across The Prince Charles, Redcliffe, Caboolture and Holy Spirit Northside hospitals.

Fitting out the library and school has completed the three levels, with the children’s services on the second level and the education centre on level one.

The library was jointly funded by UQ and the Metro North Hospital and Health Service, with each providing $1 million towards the project.

Health Workforce Australia, an initiative of the Australian Government, provided $350,000 in funding for the audio-visual fit-out.

[ENDS] 9 July 2013

Media contact: Clare Mildren 0417 255 284