Staffordshire University has opened the doors to its new £5.8million Health Innovation Centre.

Offering a series of flexible and immersive simulation spaces, the center aims to enhance clinical skills and the learning experience of students.

It was partly funded by the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Business Partnership (LEP) through the Government Building Fund. LEP has allocated £2.89m to the scheme to help drive the facility forward and generate new opportunities for learners and businesses in the area.

The facility was officially opened by Professor Mark Radford CBE, Chief Nursing Officer for Health Education England and Deputy Chief Nursing Officer for England and Honorary Doctor of Staffordshire University.
The Center will be the study base for more than 2,000 nursing, midwifery and paramedical students.

Professor Martin Jones, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Staffordshire, said: “Completing the Center for Health Innovation is a major milestone in our ambition to become the best modern university in the UK. .

“Our new state-of-the-art facilities in Stafford will help drive the digital health agenda forward and accelerate the transformation of the healthcare workforce using immersive technology and advanced teaching. We are also delighted that the Center plays a key role in supporting start-ups and SMEs through the facilities, expertise and support we have to offer, stimulating new innovation and promoting the development of new products and research.

The Center is one of five globally recognized Centers of Excellence by medical simulation training product provider CAE Healthcare.

It has audio-visual observation equipment to facilitate remote delivery and also a range of blank canvas rooms to allow transition to different real-world settings, from patients’ homes and hospital wards to work environments. business and public spaces.

Mike Phillips, Acting Executive Dean of the School of Health, Science and Wellbeing, said, “This substantial investment in digital applied learning and teaching at the Center for Health Innovation takes immersive education to the next level.

“It’s a flexible and versatile space and we actively encourage innovative companies to see what it could do for them. Our facilities could be useful for employers who need a safe space to train staff to work in different environments or for those looking for a place to test products or film sets.

The Center for Health Innovation is the latest in a series of significant investments in campus transformation made by the University of Staffordshire over the past 18 months. The University recently launched The Catalyst, a £40m regional hub for digital skills and learning at its Stoke-on-Trent campus and is set to open its £4.5m nursery and forestry school on the same site later this year.