The centre will enable onsite professional development and training across a multitude of healthcare specialties. 

Canterbury Hospital has ushered in a new era of professional development for its staff by launching a new Education Centre.   

The purpose-built education facility for clinical and non-clinical health professionals provides a lecture theatre, tutorial rooms, offices and simulation technology and equipment, representing a significant upgrade to onsite professional development at Canterbury Hospital.    

The Education Centre was officially launched on Tuesday 29 August by NSW Health Minister Ryan Park, Minister for Industrial Relations and Member for Canterbury, Sophie Cotsis, NSW Health Secretary Susan Pearce and our District Chief Executive Dr Teresa Anderson. 

The new centre will free up space in the main hospital building providing better facilities to support our junior and senior medical staff. It is also the first stage in planning for the Canterbury Hospital Redevelopment. 

Minister Park said the new education centre is an important investment in our staff, providing training across multiple specialties including emergency obstetrics, paediatrics, surgery, and emergency care.  

"Healthcare is delivered in facilities but by essential workers, and this community knows that better than most," he said.   

"The community has a very strong and rich connection to this hospital, a hospital that they've advocated and fought for upgrades for, for so many years, and it's really nice to see that you'll be undergoing a redevelopment but still have that community focus."  

Minister Cotsis said the new centre will enable young healthcare professionals to learn on the job in their community and will offer staff ongoing development and upskilling.  

"This is just the first plank of the next step, which is the redevelopment of Canterbury Hospital. I was born here half a century ago and I'm very, very proud; it's a special day today," she said.   

NSW Health Secretary Susan Pearce said communities and healthcare professionals alike have a strong connection to their local hospital, and ongoing education was vital to supporting the community's needs.   

"I love the fact that the health system, all of our 175,000 staff, are committed to ongoing education, and it's something that we all do growing up through health, continuing to learn and to educate," she said.  

Minister Park, Minister Cotsis and Secretary Pearce also toured Canterbury Hospital to learn more about the impact of ongoing education on patient and family centred care.  

"We are very fortunate to have people who are really committed to the Canterbury community; this is a really special community," Dr Teresa Anderson, our District's Chief Executive, said.   

"Having this education facility here, in one of the busiest hospitals for its size, is really very important to us, and it is the first step in a very important program."   

The centre will support the hospital to continue to meet the needs of the Canterbury community now and into the future. 

Kalpana Nair, a nurse educator who runs team sessions from the new centre said it was important to ensure access to the right tools and equipment to train people. 

"Education is a powerful tool, and I know that sounds a bit cliché, but I think this new environment where we can do proper simulation will support the staff regarding improving their learning outcomes,” Kalpana said.