A vibrant new teaching space for health professionals, created by the University of Worcester, has been recognised as the best non-NHS healthcare facility at a national awards ceremony.
The Elizabeth Garrett Anderson building on Hylton Road, Worcester, which opened in April 2023, was formerly home to the Worcester News and Berrows Journal. It was transformed by the University into a state-of-the-art centre of learning for future generations of doctors, nurses, paramedics and more.
The building was awarded Gold at the Building Better Healthcare Awards, in which judges recognised innovation in design and those facilities which create a positive, supportive, and therapeutic environment.
The University’s Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive, Professor David Green CBE DL, said: “We are delighted that our Elizabeth Garrett Anderson building, named after the first woman to qualify as a physician and surgeon in the UK, has been recognised as one of the very best healthcare education settings in the Country. The creation of this facility has been an outstanding success and is already helping us to ensure our students, whether they are training to be a doctor, a nurse, an occupational therapist or a paramedic, have access to the very best educational surroundings and specialist equipment that will help them to become the skilled professionals our NHS so desperately needs.”
The building includes a state-of-the-art anatomy suite as well as a suite of mock GP consultation rooms, and shared learning spaces. It has attracted numerous high profile visitors, including the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, and the current Health Secretary, Wes Streeting.
The transformation of the iconic Brutalist structure has also been shortlisted in the Architects’ Journal Awards 2024, and the University’s Estates team is shortlisted in the Times Higher Education Awards for their work on the project.
In keeping with the University’s sustainability credentials, the refurbishment was completed to top environmental specifications and has achieved a Gold SKA environmental rating, which is the highest rating possible, from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.