An official event to mark the construction of our new, state-of-the-art Learning and Development Centre at Calderdale Royal Hospital took place last Friday. The groundbreaking celebration event was attended by representatives from both CHFT and our construction partners, Darwin Group.

The new Learning and Development Centre will be a hub for advanced training programmes, workshops, and seminars for colleagues. Equipped with cutting-edge technology and interactive learning spaces, it will offer a modern environment for collaboration, research, and learning.

The bespoke training rooms are designed to help improve clinical skills, and there will also be an advanced simulation suite that can recreate different clinical environments, such as an emergency department, labour ward or intensive care unit.

The facility will also benefit from a live video feed to the hospital, which will allow colleagues to observe surgical procedures remotely as part of their training.   

In addition to serving our own staff, the Learning and Development Centre will also provide training opportunities for healthcare students, in collaboration with Calderdale College, the University of Huddersfield, and the University of Leeds.

Speaking at the ceremony, our Chief Executive, Brendan Brown, said: “This groundbreaking ceremony marks an incredibly exciting time for our Trust, as the first spade in the ground for our ambitious transformation plans for Calderdale Royal Hospital.

“The Learning and Development Centre will be more than just a building – it marks an investment in our greatest asset – our people. And, by giving our staff the tools they need to learn, grow and develop, we also ensure our patients continue to receive the highest standards of care.”

Works on the new facility are being carried out by specialist healthcare construction firm Darwin Group.

Darwin Group Business Development Director, Tom Mason, who attended the groundbreaking event, said: “It’s been an absolute pleasure to be here to see the first spade in the ground at Calderdale Royal Hospital and to hear about the positive impact the new facilities will make to staff training and patient care.

“We’re looking forward to continuing to work closely with the Trust to successfully deliver the project over the coming months.”

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An artist's impression of the new learning and development centre at CRH (top), and the site as it is now (bottom)
An artist's impression of the new learning and development centre at CRH (top), and the site as it is now (bottom)