Welcome to HealthTec in the South West
HealthTec South West is an innovative health and social care resource and education centre based in Plymouth in the South West of England providing simulated environments for the delivery of interactive education and training.
HealthTec South West is a partnership between Health and Education ensuring relevant work-related training for young learners studying the science and health and social care curriculum.
The Centre also provides meaningful continuing professional development opportunities for health and education professionals.
The South West HealthTec Centre offers the following facilities:
- An Emergency Ambulance for simulated training at the Centre
- Acute Simulated Suite containing A&E Triage Area, Hospital Ward Bed, Infection Control Station, Rehabilitation Equipment and Delivery Room/Morgue
- Community Simulated Suite containing Living Room, Kitchen, Bathroom and Bedroom
- Health and Social Care Equipment and Resources
- Equipped Training Room
- Laboratory
- Meeting Rooms
- Conference Room
HealthTec aims to promote health and science and provide practical learning experiences for all.
HealthTec South West – News
On the Move
We have moved to our brand new premises, Forresters House which is just across from our previous Centre in Riverford House. Forresters House is bigger and has been built internally to our specification meaning we can provide an even better experience and service than before. In particular, we are proud of our Acute and Community Suites which have been purpose built and our corporate rooms provide flexible space with folding partitions to create a room size – including a 50 seat Boardroom - to suit all our corporate clients.
We look forward to welcoming you all to HealthTec South West in Forresters House.
Friends of HealthTec
HealthTec South West has established ‘Friends of HealthTec’ which is a volunteer project to help support and develop the HealthTec Centre. As a not-for-profit organisation we aim to support our community, businesses and the education sector across the South West region and welcome volunteers to help the partnership achieve this. We need volunteers to welcome visitors to HealthTec and support meetings and conferences with administrative and hospitality services. We also provide opportunities for volunteers who have worked or are currently working in the health, social care and science sector to support the facilitation of immersive learning scenarios.
If you would like to get involved please contact Kat Kelleher at
kat.kelleher@healthtecsw.org.uk or call 01752 695300 for more information.
Care of Older People is launched!
HealthTec South West successfully ran the first Care of Older People Scenario at the end of April. Hele’s School attended HealthTec South West for the whole day doing Care of Older People in the morning and the Patient Journey in the afternoon. Support for the first delivery of this scenario was on hand with Clive and Janaki from the first HealthTec Centre in Birmingham facilitating the scenario.
Students got to experience the age suits which gave them a whole new appreciation for being young and mobile with the added benefit of meeting a specialist occupational therapist.
It was a pleasure to show Clive and Janaki our facilities here in the South West – and our learners who they thought were a delight to teach. The visit was a great opportunity for two HealthTec Centres to work together and share best practice to further improve the delivery of scenarios across the country.
See more photos from the Care of Older People Scenario
HealthTec South West Open Day
HealthTec South West officially opened its doors on Wednesday 28 April with an Open Day for partners, schools and the public to celebrate 2 years hard work.
Plymouth Albion players Rupert Freestone and James Waterhouse officially cut the ribbon to declare the Centre in Forresters Business Park open with HealthTec South West partners toasting the successful partnership working which has got the project off the ground.
Schools from across the region including minibuses from Teignmouth, Ilfracombe, Okehampton and Cornwall College attended the opening and experienced a taste of the interactive HealthTec Scenarios on offer, including demonstrations on intubation and the opportunity to try on specialist age suits.
The opening also received publicity on BBC Radio Devon with Gordon Sparks who visited HealthTec to experience old age for himself by trying on the age suits and undertaking some basic activities around the home environment.
The day was a huge success and staff at HealthTec look forward to working with schools, businesses and the public from across the South West.
See more photos from the launch
Preview Days
HealthTec South West held two Preview Days on the 22nd and 24th March to invite businesses, schools, partner organisations and the public to come and find out about HealthTec. Visitors were welcomed to the Centre and shown around the facilities with the opportunity to learn more about the resources and equipment on offer. The days were a huge success with very positive feedback; a wide range of interested parties attended including local schools, training providers, The Hyperbaric Medical Centre, Connexions, Plymouth City Council, NHS Plymouth, local colleges and students from the University of Plymouth amongst others.
The First Patient Journey!
Society, Health and Development Diploma students from Cornwall visited HealthTec on the 25 th March for the first ever Patient Journey scenario to be delivered by HealthTec South West. The day was a huge success with both students and staff giving overwhelmingly positive feedback about their experience including “The entire day was excellent – difficult to select the best bit” and “(the bit I enjoyed the most was) when I was part of the example and they scooped me up and put me in the ambulance”.
Paramedic Neil from the South West Ambulance Service Trust was on hand to take the students through ‘George’s Journey’ after his heart attack, giving them insight into what happens in the back of the ambulance and acting as a crash team in A&E.
A big thanks to all the schools involved for making the first Patient Journey scenario such an enjoyable experience for everyone involved!
Aimhigher to Create amazing art work!
HealthTec South West were the grateful recipients of some amazing pieces of artwork this week. Aimhigher Strand 5 and Create.Workshops ran a project in 2009 where year 10 secondary school pupils were trained in the skills required to facilitate art workshops, these students then supported the delivery of an art workshop for year 6 pupils in Brixham. The art work produced by these primary school pupils, based on ‘Tales of the Sea’ will be on show at HealthTec South West.