26 June 2006
Opening of Dundee Dental Education Centre
PHOTO OPPORTUNITY ON MONDAY, 26 JUNE IN DUNDEE DENTAL EDUCATION CENTRE,
FRANKLAND BUILDING (BEHIND DUNDEE DENTAL HOSPITAL), UNIVERSITY OF DUNDEE, OFF SMALL'S WYND, at 11.10am.
Lewis Macdonald, Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care, will open the new Dundee Dental Education Centre on Monday, 26 June.
The new facility, a tripartite initiative bringing together NHS Tayside, NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and the University of Dundee, provides a flagship facility and a focus for education and training for dentistry in the east of Scotland.
The £3 million state-of-the-art centre has been created within the Frankland Building on the University of Dundee campus, which is now joined by a physical link to the neighbouring Dundee Dental Hospital and School. The Centre has been funded by a capital investment of £3 m from the Scottish Executive to NHS Tayside.
Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care Lewis MacDonald said, "I am delighted to open this state-of-the-art dental education centre which will provide excellent facilities for training our dental students. The centre will play a crucial role in the training and development of the next generation of NHS dentists as well as other members of the dental team.
"I am committed to increasing the number of NHS committed dentists in Scotland through our dental action plan which has been in place for the past 15 months. As a result of that plan we have increased the number of dental students at both of our Dental Schools. I am also extremely encouraged that more dental graduates than ever before are remaining in Scotland. The number of dentists who undertook their vocational training in Scotland last year was an all time high of 135. This has increased further to 145 funded posts in 2006 and will increase again to 155 in 2007.
"This new centre also has an important role to play in the outreach training programme for students which will see students from Dundee Dental School training in communities across the North and North East. The outreach training programme should encourage dentists to remain within these communities to practice once they have completed their training."
The centre will provide postgraduate dental education and clinical skills training for all dental professionals. It will also support pre-registration training for dental nurses and undergraduate education.
The most striking feature in the new centre is a "phantom heads" clinical skills area, providing a stunning educational facility for both postgraduate and undergraduate training. This unit comprises 38 fixed student simulators with phantom heads and fully integrated audiovisual facilities, allowing advanced hands-on training.
Chair of NHS Tayside Mr Peter Bates said, "Peter Bates, Chair of NHS Tayside, said, "NHS Tayside is extremely proud to be one of the partners of the Dundee Dental Education Centre.
"This excellent facility will bring together the expertise of colleagues at the University of Dundee, NHS Education Scotland and NHS Tayside to ensure dental students, as well as dental professionals including dentists, dental nurses, hygienists and therapists, can keep up-to-date with developments in dental care and access cutting-edge technology and teaching techniques."
The state-of-the-art facility secures Dundee's standing as one of the leading dental postgraduate centres in the UK.
Sir Alan Langlands Principal of the University of Dundee said, "This new facility is a fine example of organisations working in partnership and will help improve the training of dentists and assist in tackling one of Scotland's pressing health issues.
"The University of Dundee has, over many years, played a leading role in training dentists at undergraduate and postgraduate level. The new clinical skills laboratory and seminar rooms, coupled with today's e-learning facilities, advances training at Dundee across the spectrum of dental education to include continuing professional development."
The centre allows all members of the NHS Education Scotland East Region Dental team to be based in one building for the first time, delivering a more cohesive approach to education and training initiatives.
Mrs Ann Markham, OBE, Chair of NHS Education for Scotland said, "The new Dundee Dental Education Centre will provide a focus for the teaching and support of all dental professionals in the east of Scotland.
"Dentists and dental care professionals will benefit from training which is based on the quality evidence-based guidelines which are being produced by the Dental Clinical Effectiveness Group based at the centre. Tutors there will use these guidelines, alongwith sound educational principles, to deliver training to an expanding client base. Of particular interest is the training provided for the Polish dentists who are being recruited to the Salaried Dental Service in Scotland, as well as introductory courses for other overseas dentists who wish to work in the NHS."
The National Dental Advisory Committee Clinical Effectiveness Programme (NDAC-CEP) will also be based within the new Centre. This research programme is developing guidance to support the provision of high quality care in dentistry.
The centre also adds to the range of conference and meeting facilities available in Dundee. A number of specialist events are already being considered and planned, including a series of master classes by leading experts in dentistry being organised for the latter part of 2006 and into 2007.
NOTES TO EDITORS
The Dundee Dental Education Centre will be widely used by the following user groups:
Vocational Trainees
General Professional Trainees
Senior House Officers
Specialist Registrars
Community Dental Service
University-registered postgraduate students undertaking clinical postgraduate studies
Dental Care Professionals for post-qualification
Dental Nurses for pre-registration training
Contact:
Jane Duncan, NHS Tayside, 01382 424138, mob. 07881 510406
For media enquiries contact:
Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate
Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk
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