They will provide training opportunities for thousands of staff, using the latest technology and replica healthcare facilities. The ‘adaptable spaces’ are designed for both medical and non-clinical training, and house a range of equipment and technology which the Trust says which provides tailored, real-life scenarios ‘for a realistic training environment’.
Both centres provide multiple and flexible options including simulation facilities, clinical learning space, adaptable lecture theatre and meeting rooms, online and virtual teaching options, refreshment rooms, and offices.
Eldon Court, Newcastle, accommodates 60 education and training staff, with capacity for 200 students. Training options include medical education, including facilities for final year exams, access to a clinical suite containing a working replica of an operating theatre, hospital bays and wards, a nurses’ station, and an outpatient area.
Freeman Hospital, meanwhile, accommodates 20 education and training staff, with capacity for 300 students, and features ‘state-of-the-art’ simulation and treatment facilities, consultation rooms, ward bays, an IT suite, and a lecture theatre.
Commenting on the launch, Dame Jackie Daniel, Chief Executive of Newcastle Hospitals, said: “As a leading teaching hospital, with 18,000 staff, we want to ensure the highest standards of learning and education for our large and diverse workforce, who have a wide range of skills and training requirements. Alongside high-quality content, we also need to provide the best possible facilities, technology, and training environments – a combination which will ensure we continue to provide excellent services and remain at the forefront of exceptional patient care.
“Uniquely across the Newcastle Hospitals estate, which includes the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Freeman Hospital, the Great North Children’s Hospital, and Regent Point in Gosforth, every member of staff will access one or both of the training centres during their time in the organisation. Our investment provides contemporary spaces, filled with the latest technology, where we can deliver everything ranging from standard training, to complex programmes and courses, some highly specialist.”
The centres are expected to provide around 10,000 training opportunities within the first six months of opening, supporting around 500 learners each week from across Newcastle Hospitals.