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.

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.

Duha Alkhouli, a first year T-Level Health learner, said: “I was quite surprised at how realistic it is.

“It’s very important to have these facilities because when you’re out on placement, and you’re in a real hospital ward, if you haven’t had the experience, you might be a bit shocked at how different it is.”