WORK is nearly finished on a new medical training facility in Worcester.
The University of Worcester has been working on the former Worcester News office building in Hylton Road for the last two years.
Now, the first date for accepting students is fast approaching, the University said.
It is hoped the new training centre will help the university address the shortage of GPs and junior doctors in the county.
The former Berrows House office is being transformed into a new state-of-the-art training facility with classrooms, practical areas and shared study space throughout.
The first students are due to be accepted at the start of the 2023 academic year.
Professor David Green BCE DL, University of Worcester vice chancellor and chief executive, said: "Work to refurbish the former Worcester News building to create an outstanding centre for health education is progressing very well.
"The feature staircases have been installed in the central atrium; the installation of the lifts is almost complete and the glazed screens to the classrooms are being installed.
"The second fix electrical installation is well underway and the installation of the ventilation ducting is progressing well.
"The majority of glazing has been installed and the cladding of the building’s façade is continuing at pace.
"The Elizabeth Garrett Anderson building, as it is now known, will provide a first-class education facility for our many health students including medical students from September 2023."
The building was the home of the Worcester News until 2020, when the paper relocated to London Road.
It had been based at Berrows House since the 1960s, having been designed by Austin-Smith Salmon-Lord Partnership.
The fully refurbished building will include specialist facilities for teaching medical and health professionals and will be a significant addition to the University’s Severn Campus, whose focus is on health, wellbeing and inclusive sport.
It is hoped that, when the facility is up and running, staff will go straight into the region’s NHS.
The idea for the new training centre is to provide health staff for Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, with the Three Counties suffering from a lack of staff.
Initially, there will be a mix of overseas and local students, with plans to increase this in future.
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