Hospital partnership boosts ENT services in Centre

10 Feb 2009

A milestone agreement between The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital and Alice Springs Hospital will enable the better delivery of ear, nose and throat (ENT) services in Central Australia.

The agreement enables teams of specialists from the Eye and Ear to regularly visit Alice Springs in 2009 to provide ENT care in the Hospital and at some specialist clinics in remote Aboriginal communities.

The specialist teams from the Eye and Ear will visit for one week each month throughout 2009.

The General Manager of Alice Springs Hospital, Ms Vicki Taylor, said the clinical partnership would boost the Hospital’s ability to manage ENT conditions in both Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal patients.

“Medical conditions relating to the ear, nose and throat are very common in the Territory, especially in Aboriginal children,” Ms Taylor said. “The assistance of the Eye and Ear’s highly skilled clinicians will greatly increase our capacity to provide specialist treatment for these conditions.”

Ms Taylor added that the agreement will give Alice Springs Hospital extra clinical resources as well as providing valuable experience for the visiting clinicians.

“The Eye and Ear teams will get exposure to the spectrum of ENT medical conditions in Central Australia and provide members with the experience of working with Aboriginal Central Australians. They will contribute to some clinical research here and provide expert clinical review of our treatment of ENT conditions in Central Australia,” he said.

Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital CEO Ann Clark said the Eye and Ear had formed the partnership with Alice Springs Hospital to meet the need for vital ENT care in Central Australia.

“As a world leader in specialist ENT care, the Eye and Ear has the knowledge and resources to provide clinical leadership in this important project,” Ms Clark said.

“This new agreement highlights the flexible, innovative and proactive approach that Alice Springs Hospital is taking to meet community demand at a time of skill shortages within the medical profession across Australia.

“By entering into this new partnership the Eye and Ear Hospital will be making a significant contribution to health services in Central Australia in 2009.”

The first team of visiting specialists from the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital will start work in Alice Springs in mid-February 2009.

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