Building work has commenced on a new Learning & Development Centre at Calderdale Royal Hospital.

Darwin Group and Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust (CHFT) attended an official ground breaking ceremony.

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

The bespoke training rooms are designed to help improve clinical skills, and the Centre will contain 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 staff and students to observe surgical procedures remotely as part of their training.

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In addition to serving the hospital’s 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.

Brendan Brown, Chief Executive at Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, said: "This ground breaking 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, 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."

The development is part of a £200 million investment to ensure that Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust and its partners can provide the best hospital and community healthcare for patients and families for future generations.