The Northumbria Health and Care Academy has triumphed at the 2024 Healthy City Design Awards, winning the Healthy Workplaces Award in recognition of its innovative design and impactful contributions to enhancing well-being in the workplace. 
The £32m Academy is one of the first of its kind in the country, providing a centre of training excellence training for nurses, midwives, and allied health professionals just steps away from the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital.
It is recognised as a pioneering model for educating, featuring state-of-the-art facilities, innovative training spaces and specialised environments that promote workforce well-being. It also represents a major investment in the future, creating new opportunities for the workforce and the wider community.
Commenting on this achievement project designer and Health Lead Sharon Cook shared,
“We are thrilled that the Health and Care Academy has won this award! It’s fantastic to see a healthcare building gaining recognition, competing against many other types of workplaces in this category. We are so proud to have been involved in the design and delivery of this project which provides enormous benefit for the Trust and its workforce at a time when the wellbeing challenges faced by the NHS staff workforce are really in the spotlight.”
Damon Kent, managing director of Northumbria Healthcare Facilities Management was thrilled with the news about the award. Damon said: “This is a fantastic achievement for everyone involved in the development of the Health and Care Academy and especially P + HS Architects. The academy has been open for five months now and we have had lots of positive feedback from staff and also the students who have started their healthcare journey at the facility.”