West Herts College Opens New Patient Care Training Centre in Watford to Boost NHS and Healthcare Workforce
West Herts College has officially opened its brand-new Patient Care Training Centre at the Watford campus — a modern facility designed to prepare students for careers across the region’s health and social care sector, including roles at Watford General Hospital and other local NHS services.
The new centre provides a high-spec clinical environment where school leavers and adults alike can gain practical experience and industry-relevant skills. It forms part of the College’s contribution to meeting the needs of Hertfordshire’s healthcare system, while also supporting the region’s wider economic ambitions.
Gill Worgan CBE, Principal and CEO of West Herts College, said:
“We’re delighted to unveil this new Patient Care Training Centre at our Watford campus. The demand for skilled healthcare workers continues to grow – and these facilities will help ensure that local people are well-prepared to access jobs across hospitals, care homes, and community settings.
This investment reflects our commitment to supporting students of all ages to succeed in rewarding, high-demand careers, and to helping local employers meet critical skills needs in the healthcare sector.”
The unveiling was attended by Matt Turmaine MP, who welcomed the investment in high-quality, hands-on training for the next generation of healthcare professionals.
“It’s a really impressive set up, which sees people able to start work on wards for real from the get-go having had this training with extremely life-like medical manikins, which have a pulse, can blink, cry out in pain and even vomit! The NHS and college partnership is a real benefit to the town and I commend everyone involved,” said Matt Turmaine.
The new facilities were funded through the Department for Education’s Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF), part of the wider Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) programme. This national initiative supports colleges to develop training that meets real-time employer demand, with the healthcare sector identified as a priority area in Hertfordshire.
The Patient Care Training Centre also supports delivery of the College’s highly successful NHS Career Gateway programme – a fast-track route into NHS
employment that combines practical training at college with a guaranteed job and full NHS salary from day one.
The programme has been developed in partnership between West Herts College and West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, it sees newly employed NHS staff members undertake a 6-week study programme that balances time studying in the Patient Care Training Centre with induction activities at Watford General Hospital.
David Goodier, Director of OD, Education and Learning at West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, added:
“We became involved in the NHS Career Gateway project because we recognised a need for better-prepared, more confident new starters who could make an immediate impact in our teams. Partnering with West Herts College allowed us to co-create a training solution that addresses real workforce challenges, from recruitment and retention to workplace readiness.”
The new centre is also in use by students on a range of courses, from Health and Social Care to Access to Nursing and Midwifery. If you’re interested in a career in healthcare, click the button below to find out more and apply:
