The new facility has been designed to align with key NHS priorities, including accelerating digital adoption, delivering more care closer to home, and shifting the focus of healthcare from treatment to prevention. By providing a collaborative environment for clinicians, healthcare leaders, and technology specialists, the Hub is intended to showcase integrated solutions that help address some of the most pressing challenges facing the NHS today.
A dedicated workspace within the Hub has been named the Garrett Anderson Room, honouring pioneering physician Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, who played a leading role in securing women’s rights to train and practise medicine in the UK.
The launch was attended by the Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, Robert Voss CBE CStJ, and the Mayor of Dacorum, Councillor Garrick Stevens, who joined employees, customers and partners to celebrate the opening of the new Hub.
Draeger Medical UK MD Matthew Bedford said: “This investment demonstrates our commitment to Hemel Hempstead, our employees and our customers. The Innovation Hub provides a modern environment where healthcare professionals can experience the latest technologies, receive specialist training, and collaborate with our teams.
“As we continue to grow, we are proud to be investing in our local community and creating a facility that will support both our customers and our people for years to come.”
The Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, Robert Voss CBE CStJ, commented: “Today marks more than the opening of a new facility. It represents a commitment to innovation, collaboration, and the belief in the need for advances in healthcare.
“Healthcare is facing unprecedented challenges. Not only here in the UK but around the world, health systems are under increasing pressure from ageing populations, workforce shortages, rising demand, and the growing complexity of patient care as well as funding. At the same time, we are witnessing extraordinary advances in technology that offer new opportunities to improve outcomes, enhance efficiency, and support healthcare professionals in delivering the very best care.
“This Innovation Hub has been created to help bridge that gap between possibility and practice. It is a place where engineers, clinicians, scientists, digital specialists and industry partners can work together to develop solutions that are not only technologically advanced, but genuinely responsive to the needs of patients and healthcare professionals.”