Close to a year since the Allam Medical Building officially opened its doors, its impact on the health of people in the region and beyond is already being realised.
Recognised as the winner of The Guardian’s University Awards 2018 in the ‘Buildings that Inspire’ category, the Allam Medical Building has transformed the way that we teach, nurture and inspire the next generation of health professionals.
Formally opened by Her Majesty The Queen in November 2017 and made possible by a £7 million donation from alumnus and local businessman Dr Assem Allam and other key donors, the Allam Medical Building is at the heart of the University’s £28-million health campus.
“There’s a real sense of positivity,” explains Professor Julie Jomeen, Dean of the University of Hull’s Faculty of Health Sciences and Professor of Midwifery. “You can sense the students’ pride in being able to learn in a building that is as state of the art as this, and which has already attracted some of the highest-calibre academics and healthcare professionals from across the country.”
The building is making a huge impression, according to Julie. “Being able to now showcase our new facilities has resulted in a real ‘wow’ factor. You can see prospective students – and their parents – getting genuinely excited about applying to study at the University of Hull.”
Excellence in teaching and research
Julie says: “Students are able to learn crucial clinical skills in a safe, simulated environment before they go out to work in the real-life contexts of hospitals and communities.
“One of our major aims is to create new models of working. By providing the clinical skills areas and facilities that enable doctors, nurses, midwives and other healthcare workers to train together, we are moving closer to building the cohesive workforce required by the NHS to deliver the highest standard of healthcare in the region.
“Our graduates make an outstanding contribution to improving the health of the people in our region and beyond. A report published by HESA has revealed that for four consecutive years 100 per cent of operating department practitioners, nursing, midwifery and medical graduates have been in employment or further education within six months.”
Simon Nearney, Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust Director of Workforce, says the Trust, University and medical school share identical goals in training, developing and recruiting the best healthcare staff.
“The excellent working relationship we have enables us to achieve our mutual ambition,” he says. “We work closely with the University to support students throughout their training, offering them placements to put classroom-acquired learning into practice under supervision and mentoring.
“This partnership benefits everyone – the University, the Trust, the students and, perhaps most importantly, our patients because we are securing the best talent to care for them now and for many years to come.”
Beyond this, the Allam Medical Building has increased the University’s capacity to deliver life-changing research by attracting academic expertise from across the UK and beyond, addressing health issues locally and further afield.
A team effort
Needless to say, Julie talks about the Allam Medical Building with pride and recognition of its potential. “When I saw The Queen’s car pull up I wanted to cry,” says Julie. “I felt so proud to be standing there showing off what we had achieved. It took a phenomenal amount of time and effort from staff, students, stakeholders and faculty.
“Winning The Guardian award – and the opening by Her Majesty The Queen – was an external acknowledgement of this hard work. From Dr Allam’s initial concept through to the development stages, the design, the construction, everyone has made this building the building that it is, and I really do believe that when you walk into it today you rightly feel a sense of importance.”
