University of Worcester Makes Healthcare Equipment Available to NHS

The University of Worcester has made its nursing and healthcare training equipment available for use in the NHS in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.

This is one of a number of measures that the University, its staff and students, are taking to assist in any way they can in the current international health crisis.

Professor David Green CBE, Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive, said: “We are facing a national and international crisis. It is a matter of life and death that we all work together in this unprecedented situation. We, as a university, are doing whatever we can. We have been working with our partner NHS Trusts to ensure our 3^rd year nursing and health professions students can join the NHS workforce early. We have outstanding simulation facilities and are making sure that this vital equipment, everything from specialist hospital beds, to screens and stethoscopes, is fully available to the NHS.”

The University of Worcester trains hundreds of students every year to work in a variety of healthcare settings, including Nursing, Midwifery, Paramedic Science and Health and Social Care. 

Working with other universities and the NHS, the University has also been making arrangements to enable Nursing, Midwifery and other students on healthcare courses, to go into practice to assist in the crisis, with continued support from University staff. Further work is also happening to allow students to work in a wide range of other professional capacities, to assist nursing homes and other providers of essential services for vulnerable people.

Meanwhile, many of the University’s health staff, who are registered professionals, have volunteered to be seconded to the NHS. The University is also enabling many staff in its School of Science and Environment, who have also volunteered to go to work in science laboratories, helping with vital work in testing and analysis to reduce any capacity constraints. 

The University’s in-house nursery, Unitots, continues to provide care for the children of essential workers, the majority of whom are in the NHS.