Facilities at the School of Health and Social Work

The School of Health and Social Work specialist facilities are based within Meridian House in Hatfield town centre and College Lane Campus. From clinical skills laboratories to simulation hospital wards and specialist manikins, along with state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment, you'll have the tools you'll need to enhance your learning experience.

State-of-the-art facilities

Simulation is an essential part of our healthcare programmes where students can practice true to life procedures and scenarios in a realistic yet completely safe environment. Our students benefit from excellent facilities in our specialist simulation laboratories at College Lane Campus and our Clinical Simulation Centre which is dedicated to teaching nursing and midwifery in Meridian House.

For all students

High and low fidelity manikins

All programmes have access to a range of high and low fidelity manikins that cover all ages from premature babies up to elderly people and everything in between! These state-of-the-art manikins can receive a whole host of different procedures depending on the learning session. They can be independently controlled and programmed by our academics and simulation technicians to give you a specific learning experience. Don’t be surprised if they talk to you, breathe, blink, bleed or even give birth!

To complete the practical skills learning, we have a vast array of the latest specialised manikins to support students to learn those vital practical skills before they meet a real patient! These manikins come in a variety of skin tones and ages to represent our diverse student and staff community.

Virtual reality

With the continued development of modern technology to aid the learning of all students, we are pleased to offer our healthcare students with the opportunity to learn in a virtual environment with the latest virtual reality headsets and technology. This allows our students to be fully immersed in their work and develop a thorough understanding of the practical skills they are learning.

Empathy

We also have a range of equipment and learning aids to boost the empathy of our students for their patients. Do you know what it’s like to be a bariatric sized patient, or have a serious visual impairment, or limited movement in your limbs and poor dexterity? We have the learning aids to give you those opportunities.

Staff

Students are supported by a committed team of academics, including specialist simulation and skills staff, many of whom still also work in clinical practise. These academics are then supported by an array of professional and technical teams who support your learning.

Specialised subject facilities

Coming soon to College Lane

Here is a snapshot of our plans for academic year 2024/25:

• two 4 bed hospital wards with latest HD recording facilities and their own control room
• two generic teaching spaces
• a domestic environment with its own control room and latest HD recording facilities
• two Immersive rooms – allowing us to create any environment for our students whether that's a doctors surgery, a student bed-sit, or the middle of a live motorway!

Explore our Meridian House facilities

Clinical Simulation Centre (Health Research Building)

The Clinical Simulation Centre in the Health Research Building is a multi-disciplinary learning environment which is shared with the School of Life and Medical Science. There is a range of teaching and simulation facilities including; ITU/ward simulation area, simulated G.P. surgery and counselling room as well as a mock pharmacy and optical laboratories.

Learning and leisure facilities

A 24-hour Learning Resources Centre and library, can be found in our College Lane Campus.

An unrivalled Sports Village facilities and a large range of student accommodation are also found on the de Havilland Campus.

Read more about the facilities at the University of Hertfordshire.