Work starts at University Hospital of Hartlepool on £1.25m academy to produce next generation of care professionals

The new Hartlepool Health and Social Care Academy at the University Hospital of Hartlepool will feature state-of-the-art equipment and realistic health care settings to train future health workers.

It is a partnership including North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, Hartlepool Borough Council and Hartlepool College of Further Education.

Building contractor Vest Construction will be instrumental in bringing the academy, due for completion in the summer, to life.

Leaders and project partners gathered for a spade in the ground event to mark the start of work on the facility.

Neil Atkinson, managing director of North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for the Trust to complement the services we operate out of Hartlepool and to ensure we have the right pipeline of qualified staff working across the health and social care system in the future.”

The academy will form part of the hospital trust’s Faculty of Leadership, Learning and Improvement and is one of five key town transformation projects as in the council’s £25m Town Deal.

Councillor Mike Young, leader of Hartlepool Borough Council, said: “The new Health and Social Care Skills Academy will have an impressive range of state-of-the art facilities and equipment and it is really exciting that construction work is now underway.

“Helping people to develop the skills needed to secure high-quality jobs is a key aim of Hartlepool Town Deal, and this project represents a major investment in the future of our town, its residents and our local hospital.”

An estimated 20% of the region’s workforce are employed in the health and social care sector.

The academy will feature a bespoke simulation ‘at home’ training suite, a four-bed training bay, ICT suite, trainee common room, immersive suite and several other flexible training and class rooms.

Darren Hankey, chair of the Hartlepool Town Deal Board and principal of Hartlepool College of Further Education, said: “The Health and Social Care Academy, alongside a Civil Engineering Skills Academy that is also being supported by the Hartlepool Town Deal, will bring significant benefits to the borough by addressing serious skills shortages and providing new career opportunities for local people.”