Her Majesty The Queen to open centrepiece of £28-million health campus

On 16 November, Her Majesty The Queen will perform the Opening Ceremony of the Allam Medical Building, the heart of the University of Hull’s £28-million health campus.

The investment underlines the University of Hull and Hull York Medical School’s commitment to improving the health of people in the region and beyond. It is supported by a £7-million donation from alumnus and East Yorkshire businessman Dr Assem Allam, alongside other key donors.

Addressing critical healthcare challenges such as the shortage of doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers across the region, the Allam Medical Building will play a pivotal role in attracting and developing students who will shape the healthcare workforce of the future. In addition, the investment will increase the University’s capacity to deliver life-changing research by attracting academic expertise from across the UK and further afield.

Professor Susan Lea, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hull, remarked: “It is a great honour to welcome Her Majesty The Queen to the University to open this truly outstanding facility. We are extremely proud of the vital contribution that our graduates and staff make to the health of the region and this investment enables us to extend our impact through the delivery of pioneering teaching and research.”

A guided tour of the Allam Medical Building and interactive learning scenarios will give guests an insight into the ways in which the University’s teaching environment ensures that students are fully prepared for clinical practice.

Professor Julie Jomeen, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Hull, commented: “The Allam Medical Building will transform the way we teach the next generation of health professionals, giving them the very best opportunities and training to deliver the healthcare of the future, and enhancing their student experience considerably. Our ambition is to create new models of working, and 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.”

This summer, the University of Hull celebrated the graduation of its largest ever cohort of nursing graduates. These included general adult, learning disability, mental health and children's nurses – the majority of whom will take up positions within local health services and hospitals to fill the staffing shortfall.

Chris Long, Chief Executive of Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, noted: “We already have an excellent working partnership with the University, which enables us to train and recruit highly-skilled staff. The Allam Medical Building represents the vision of the University and its partner organisations to create a world-class workforce that will be able to address challenges, innovate and develop new ways of working.

"Once again this year, our partnership has been very successful, and we made job offers to more than 160 students. Being able to train and then retain people locally is incredibly important to us, and to the communities that we serve.”

Critical to the provision of skilled graduates and leading innovative research in the areas of cancer and palliative care, the Hull York Medical School (as part of the University’s Faculty of Health Sciences) is housed within the Allam Medical Building.

Each year 140 doctors graduate from Hull York Medical School.

Professor Una Macleod, Dean of Hull York Medical School, commented: “We are committed to teaching our medical students through a patient-centred approach, and the new facilities and ways of working will enable us to offer our students the opportunity to develop further their problem solving, clinical and communication skills.

“We are proud to be able to mark the occasion and to share an insight into the impact the Allam Medical Building will make to learning and research, and ultimately how this will affect the quality of life for people in our communities and beyond.”

At the official opening event, the University of Hull and the Faculty of Health Sciences will showcase how they are advancing patient care through research in areas such as cancer research, end of life care and perinatal mental illness, demonstrating how addressing the health needs of the region is leading to lasting change in the UK and beyond.