A new Academic Health Sciences Campus is planned for the site of the former Royal Liverpool University Hospital in Liverpool. Tony McDonough reports
An agreement has been signed by the University of Liverpool and Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (LUHFT) to create a new Academic Health Sciences Campus.
It will be built on the site of the former Royal Liverpool University Hospital which has been demolished to make way for the new ‘Royal’ nearby.
Now the two organisations have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to advance plans for the new campus. It would provide space for the university’s medical, dental, nursing and allied health professional students.
In partnership with North West NHS trusts providing placements to Liverpool students, it will also help to answer challenges laid out in the recently published NHS Workforce Plan. This is the biggest recruitment drive in health service history.
And it would feature flexible teaching spaces, clinical teaching facilities and simulation facilities. These would include mock wards and patient homes, supported by IT to train students to increasingly use robotics, artificial intelligence and data.
Professor Louise Kenny, executive pro-vice-chancellor for the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at the University of Liverpool, said: “Since its founding in 1834, the University of Liverpool’s Medical School has been at the forefront of medical practice.
“It has been associated with numerous leading medical alumni, including three Nobel Laureates. We have a rich heritage of working closely with hospitals across the region to train health professionals who go on to make a vital contribution to society.
“The new Liverpool Academic Health Sciences Campus is a really exciting opportunity to build on this work, providing new interprofessional learning experiences to enhance students’ clinical understanding and professional development.
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LUHFT runs Aintree University Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital, Liverpool University Dental Hospital and Royal Liverpool University Hospital.
Chief executive James Sumner added: “The agreement between LUHFT and the University of Liverpool is an incredibly exciting opportunity for the city of Liverpool.
“A new clinical skills and health education facility would significantly improve and modernise the quality of health education for the next generation of health care workers.
“It offers opportunities for collaboration and partnership in clinical research and innovation for the benefit of the NHS across the region, which is essential for improving the care and treatment we deliver.”