Hospital's £1.8m overhaul of Education Centre

Barnsley Hospital is celebrating the opening of its newly extended Education Centre, which has been refurbished and improved at a cost of £1.8m.

The centre, traditionally where nurses trained when the hospital was first built in the 1970s, has had an extension on the back to provide more conference space and has been reconfigured. The increased footprint of the building has increased the capacity and this will ultimately generate more income from more courses in the long-term.

Local artist Adam Briscoe has also provided three pieces of wall art for the centre, funded by the hospital charity. 

The Education Centre has 13 rooms dedicated to teaching/training where various sessions are delivered on a daily basis. These rooms comprise nine teaching rooms, three lecture theatres including one that was recently completed to allow for further training space and two well-equipped, high fidelity Sim Labs (for healthcare simulation) one located in the Clinical Skills teaching room in the centre.

Louise Pemberton, the hospital’s Head of Medical Education, said: “The centre also has improved audio visual and high-fidelity training equipment which allows us to deliver sessions which mimic real life clinical scenarios in a controlled and safe learning environment; the team have invested in a Technology Enhanced Learning Manager to allow us to do this.

“The hospital has seen an increase in nursing and student nurse numbers, as well as medical students and resident doctors over the last three years like the rest of the NHS. The expansion of the centre increases placement opportunities for them and provides a modern setting for them to train and learn.” 

The Education Centre, which has its own library, is used for various purposes including Mandatory and Statutory Training (MaST). It has meeting spaces for corporate staff and groups from the community such as patient experience groups. Visitors also come from around the region to train on regional teaching programmes. 

Among specialist courses at the centre are Focused Ultrasound in Intensive Care (FUSIC) and an ‘Introduction to Healthcare’ for 16-18-year-olds, to develop the talent pipeline of the future.

The hospital celebrated the Education Centre opening on Friday (October 3) with a ribbon-cutting event attended by Medical Director Dr Simon Enright and Managing Director Michael Wright. There was also a series of tours around the centre for guests including some former managers of the Education Centre. 

Dr Enright said: “We are proud to showcase this excellent academic and learning element of Barnsley Hospital. Many colleagues across the Trust – and also stakeholders from the community – use the Education Centre for a breadth of courses and meetings. It is the heart of education in the Trust, and for so many, the start of a journey in long-term training.

“The new and improved Education Centre also supports Barnsley Hospital’s application for teaching status. Teaching status for hospitals designates institutions committed to educating and training future and current healthcare professionals, often through partnerships with universities and colleges. 

“An example of this is Barnsley Hospital Academy – a partnership between Barnsley College and Barnsley Hospital which provides clear educational pathways and employment opportunities for students interested in health, social care, and NHS careers.”

• The launch of the hospital Education Centre was timed to coincide with Valuing Medical Educators Week which started on 29 September and World Teachers’ Day on 5 October.

FACTS & FIGURES

• Within Barnsley Hospital Education Centre there have been around 624 resuscitation sessions delivered in the last 12 months. These have made full use of the facilities on offer in the centre to train current and future doctors.
• Over 250 resident doctors have been inducted over the last 12 months.
• 350 medical students each year who are here on placement from Sheffield Medical School use the facilities for training and studying.
• The centre has delivered three introduction to medicine courses in the last 12 months. More than 40 16-18-year-olds attended who are interested in applying for medicine as a career.
• The centre’s library saw 2,333 book issues and renewals.
• There were 791 issues and renewals of library laptops.
• There were 22 sessions of training delivered, with 47 attendees.