New £5.8m Centre for Health Innovation in Stafford opens

Featuring the most advanced health simulation technology, the centre offers a series of flexible and immersive simulation spaces designed to enhance clinical competency and the learning experience for students.

The new centre has been part-funded by Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) via the Government’s Getting Building Fund.

The LEP allocated £2.89m to this scheme to help bring forward the pioneering facility and generate further opportunity for learners and businesses in the area.

The facility was officially opened by Professor Mark Radford, chief nurse for Health Education England and deputy chief nursing officer for England and honorary Doctor of Staffordshire University.

As well as being the study base for more than 2,000 student nurses, midwives, operating department practitioners and paramedics, the centre also offers an exciting platform for new collaborations with local business and healthcare and technology industries.

Professor Martin Jones, vice-chancellor and chief executive at Staffordshire University said: “Completion of the Centre for Health Innovation is an important milestone in our ambition to become the UK’s best modern university.

“Our new sector-leading facilities in Stafford will help drive the digital health agenda and accelerate the transformation of the health workforce using immersive technology and advanced teaching. We’re also delighted that the centre will play a key role in supporting start-ups and SMEs through the facilities, expertise and support we have to offer, driving new innovations and promoting new product development and research.”

Located at the university’s Stafford site, the Centre for Health Innovation is one of just five Centres of Excellence worldwide recognised by medical simulation training product provider CAE Healthcare.

Many new spaces within the facility are equipped with cutting-edge audio-visual observation equipment, including discreet microphones and cameras to facilitate immersive and remote delivery.

It also features a range of blank canvas rooms fitted with ceiling-mounted technology that allows spaces to be switched to different real-world settings from patients’ homes and hospital wards through to business environments such as factories and warehouses, and public spaces including airports and shopping malls.

Mike Phillips, interim executive Dean in the School of Health, Science and Wellbeing, said: “This substantial investment in digitally-enabled applied learning and teaching at the Centre for Health Innovation takes simmersive education to the next level.

“This is flexible and versatile space and we are actively encouraging innovative businesses the opportunity to see what it could do for them. Our facilities could be of use to employers requiring a safe space to train staff to work in different environments or those in search of a venue for product testing or film sets.

“Users of the Centre for Health Innovation can also access the university’s internationally recognised research capabilities as well as a suite of CPD courses in areas such as life support and simulation.”