Exeter College has officially opened its new, fully simulated hospital training ward and life sciences laboratories, giving aspiring healthcare workers in the South West access to modern hospital-standard facilities while they complete their training.
Located at the College’s Hele Road campus in Exeter city centre, the new Bakers Ward facility has been designed in collaboration with key regional partners, including the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (RDUH) and the University of Exeter.
The state-of-the-art medical training spaces will be used to deliver Exeter College’s Higher Education and adult healthcare courses, along with apprenticeships and T Levels. The new facility will help grow local nursing and healthcare talent and address existing NHS workforce needs in the South West.
Bakers Ward received £1.3m in Office for Students grant funding, and at its heart is an eight-bed simulated hospital ward designed in line with current NHS guidelines and fitted with hospital-grade equipment. The new equipment and spaces available to learners include:
- Eight-bed training ward, designed to replicate real clinical environments
- A fully fitted bariatric bay
- State-of-the-art simulated patient mannequins in each bay, fitted with 4D-printed hyper-realistic face masks
- Bespoke simulation software that allows learners to practise responses to a wide range of clinical scenarios, such as heart failure, asthma care and postoperative care
- An AI training package that allows learners to interact with an AI “patient” across hundreds of simulated scenarios
- Live streaming from each bay into a Skills Lab for group training and feedback
-
Alongside the new ward are two fully fitted life sciences laboratories, built to support higher-level scientific and healthcare learning, and equipped to run advanced Biology and Chemistry practicals, such as synthesising aspirin and conducting PCR testing.
Adult courses to use Bakers Ward and the laboratories will include a Nursing Associate apprenticeship delivered in partnership with the University of Exeter, Higher Education Apprenticeship in Assistant Practitioner in Healthcare, Access to Higher Education Health Professions, and Healthcare Skills Bootcamps.
Further Education learners will also benefit from using the facilities, including those studying T Level Health and Level 3 Health Science courses.
By expanding the number of learners that can access high-quality, industry-standard training, the new facility will help strengthen regional healthcare training capacity and, through partnerships with local employers and organisations, support workforce needs across the South West.
Start and end your day right: South West Water encourages customers to adopt water-efficient routines to protect essential supplies
Pregnant women urged to get flu vaccination ahead of winter
AI helping people reach the right service faster
Energy bill rise highlights importance of support available through Devon’s Crisis and Resilience Fund
More families to be able to access free school meals
Exeter Cathedral First In UK To Be Awarded Accredited Archive Status For Third Time
Drivers urged to take ‘Moor’ care and protect beauty spot wildlife
New solar panels support greener future for East Devon Business Centre
Hard lines for proposed school in Devon’s newest town as local criticism persists
Call for clarity over Royal Marines asbestos exposure claims
Parents in the South West urged to vaccinate children at the right time to protect them and ensure they are ready to thrive at school
South West Water offers free water-saving devices to help customers reduce their use
Battery blaze in Exeter recycling vehicle sparks fresh warning
Temporary lane closure on Bridge Road will remain in place while essential safety work is planned
Police appeal for information following an assault in Exeter
Supporting the Local Economy by Keeping Devon Walking
