The Duke of Gloucester formally inaugurated a cutting-edge healthcare training facility bearing his name at the University of Worcester on Thursday.
His Royal Highness unveiled the Duke’s Building at the institution’s Severn Campus, a three-storey centre dedicated to health, wellbeing and sport education that honours his position as university chancellor.
During the ceremony, Prince Richard revealed a commemorative plaque and engaged with academic staff, students and university fellows.
Senior healthcare figures from across Worcestershire joined the occasion, alongside Worcester’s mayor and the leader of Worcester City Council.
The duke, himself a trained architect, showed keen interest in the building’s design and functional aspects.
The facility houses clinical skills suites, specialist laboratories and adaptable teaching spaces serving students pursuing careers in nursing, medicine, physiotherapy and paramedic science.
Located on Hylton Road, the centre provides what the university describes as authentic clinical learning experiences through advanced equipment and sophisticated mannequins capable of mimicking genuine patient responses.
Principal lecturer in simulation and skills, Alice Kitt, explained the mannequins “can replicate all the things a real patient can do”.
The Duke formally inaugurated a cutting-edge healthcare training facility bearing his name at the University of Worcester
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UNIVERSITY OF WORCESTER
The building recreates genuine hospital ward conditions, complete with medical equipment and resources identical to those found in actual clinical settings.
Each bed space can function as an individual simulation environment for one-to-one student training.
Mrs Kitt stated the facility had “completely revolutionised the teaching that we do”.
She said: “We’ve got students from all sorts of backgrounds, medicine, paramedicine, nursing, midwifery, allied health and it gives us a shared space to do that interprofessional education together.”
The Duke, himself a trained architect, showed keen interest in the building’s design and functional aspects
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UNIVERSITY OF WORCESTER
The mannequins “can breathe, they can talk to you, we can do their blood pressure, we can do a full set of observations on them”, Mrs Kitt explained.
Students can practise scenarios ranging from basic communication exercises to managing cardiac arrests.
Beyond high-fidelity mannequin simulations, the centre also employs actors to help students develop their interpersonal communication abilities.
The building had already been in use for several months prior to Thursday’s formal opening ceremony.
His Royal Highness unveiled the Duke’s Building at the institution’s Severn Campus
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UNIVERSITY OF WORCESTER
Second-year mental health nursing student Olivia Higley described the centre as a “lovely building… very bright, very hospital-like”.
“Obviously having facilities like this before you go out on placement, they really boost your confidence and when you get to the real thing, it’s not as daunting then,” she said.
Final-year adult nursing student Zoe Brownrigg noted the facility was approximately ten times larger than the previous centre at St John’s Campus, with considerably more modernised rooms.
Vice Chancellor Professor David Green called the opening “a significant milestone” that would prove invaluable in preparing future healthcare professionals.
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