New state-of-the-art domiciliary care suites unveiled at pair of Warwickshire colleges
New state-of-the-art domiciliary care suites to support the development of students seeking careers in the health and social sector have been unveiled at two Warwickshire colleges.
WCG (Warwickshire College Group) has invested a total of £130,000 in the facilities at Rugby College and Royal Leamington Spa College.
The care suites have been funded by the Government’s Strategic Development Fund and will enable students to replicate the professional environment they would experience after completing their college course.
The facilities will be of benefit to all health and social care students at Rugby College and Royal Leamington Spa College, including in the delivery of T-Levels and adult-learning courses.
The college group also plans to use the facility to help businesses in the health and social care sector to develop and upskill their staff.
Royal Leamington Spa College has two separate care suites on site, with one which replicates a hospital ward setting and another which mirrors a care home or small residential flat.
The hospital ward features two adult beds and a child’s bed, with one area looking more like a paediatric ward. It includes a seating area for students, flexible study space, mannequins, and a hoist and pull chord to give the students a realistic experience of the hospital environment.
The second room includes a kitchen area, lounge area, dining area, shower and toilet to replicate a care home or small residential flat setting.
While the health room at Rugby College is a new hybrid-suite, combining the hospital and care home training suites in one room, enabling training on working in both environments in one compact space.
The funding has also enabled WCG to invest in a new virtual Metaverse learning platform, which will allow students to navigate around a virtual hospital ward. The college is also planning to use the virtual learning environment in marketing to potential students.
Tracy Gibson, Head of Department for Health and Social Care at Rugby College, said: “Having these care suites across two of our colleges in Warwickshire enables us to give students a more realistic idea of what they will face when they are out in employment.
“The care suites replicate the environments they will experience after leaving the college or heading out on work placement.
“We are looking to offer training to upskill existing workers in the care sector too at this facility and provide adult-learning courses for those people.”
To find out more about studying health and care courses at WCG visit www.wcg.ac.uk/study
