History
Calvary Mater Newcastle began as the Newcastle Mater Misericordiae Hospital in 1921 under the care of the Sisters of Mercy (Singleton). In 2006, the hospital was transferred to the Sisters of the Little Company of Mary and became part of Calvary. Consequently in 2007, the hospital changed its name to Calvary Mater Newcastle.
Calvary Mater Newcastle provides public hospital services under a Service Level Agreement with Hunter New England Local Health District.
It is a tertiary referral hospital providing both local district services, and tertiary referral services in oncology (medical and radiation), haematology, toxicology, and palliative care. As the major cancer care centre for the District the hospital delivers more than 395,000 occasions of outpatient services and in excess of 17,000 inpatient treatments per year to the Hunter, New England and Mid North Coast regions of NSW.
Calvary Mater Newcastle strives to deliver quality, responsive and compassionate health care, guided by the Calvary values of Hospitality, Healing, Stewardship and Respect.
Profile
Oncological care at Calvary Mater Newcastle is provided by specialised medical oncology, radiation oncology, haematology and surgical oncology teams. Care is multidisciplinary, holistic and patient focused. Allied health services include psycho-oncology care, physiotherapy, nutrition and dietetics, social work, speech pathology and pastoral care. Specialist nursing services, including tumour stream specific care coordinators and nurse practitioners, provide key aspects of care. Each department has a proven track record in clinical research with academic links to the University of Newcastle.
Specialities
Calvary Mater Newcastle provides exemplary clinical care of all tumour streams, with senior staff all being sub-specialists in specific streams. There is particular expertise in the management of melanoma, head and neck cancers, adrenal cancers, neuroendocrine tumours and leukaemia.
Palliative and Supportive Care
Palliative and Supportive Care The hospital's Department of Palliative Care provides a comprehensive multidisciplinary service to Calvary Mater Newcastle, as well as the wider Hunter New England Local Health District.
The service operates across hospital and community settings, with a 24-hour multidisciplinary community outreach service, as well as specialist inpatient unit, hospital consultation and early integrated ambulatory palliative care outpatient clinic. The Department of Palliative Care also operates a specialist telehealth clinic to regional and rural areas in the District. The service works in collaboration with the Hunter Integrated Pain Service to enable access to interventional pain management.
Palliative care at Calvary Mater Newcastle has robust research and education units, offering specialist training in palliative care accredited by the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, multidisciplinary undergraduate and postgraduate palliative care education as well as opportunities for clinician led research and implementation.
Last update: August 2021
