Health and Care Academy Shortlisted for Healthy Workplaces Award

The Northumbria Health and Care Academy on the grounds of the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Hospital has been shortlisted for the Healthy Workplaces Award at the Healthy City Design Awards 2024.

The awards, organised by SALUS  in collaboration with The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design recognise the most innovative, impactful projects that are shaping healthier places to live, work, and thrive.

Commenting on this achievement, P+HS project designer and healthcare lead, Sharon Cook, shared:

“We are delighted that the Health and Care Academy has been shortlisted for this award, especially as a healthcare building competing against many other types of workplace in this category. We are so proud to have been involved in the design and delivery of this project which provides enormous benefit for the Trust and the North East region at a time when the wellbeing challenges faced by the NHS staff workforce are really in the spotlight.”

The new £32m Academy, provides a centre of training excellence for nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals offering them state-of-the-art educational resources including a simulation ward, immersive suite, library, and flexible classrooms equipped with video conferencing. The ground floor houses a GP practice, pharmacy, and spaces for community healthcare teams with a drive-through Starbucks and nature trail also included on the site.

Working in partnership with Sunderland University, Northumbria NHS Foundation Trust has described the scheme as “a trailblazing partnership launched to deliver the NHS workforce of the future”. The partnership means the Academy is one of the first facilities of its kind in the country. Stakeholders from the nursing school and the Trust have worked with the developer Assura and the P+HS design team for over two years to design the bespoke spaces for education and training.

The construction of the Academy by Meldrum was completed in May 2024, and it welcomed its first cohort of Trainee Nursing Associates (TNAs) in June. Read more here.