A new teaching space for health professionals has won a national award.

The Elizabeth Garrett Anderson building on Hylton Road, Worcester, was recognised as the best non-NHS healthcare facility at the Building Better Healthcare Awards.

The building, which opened in April 2023, was formerly home to the Worcester News and Berrows Journal.

It was transformed by the University of Worcester into a centre of learning for future doctors, nurses, paramedics, and more.

The building was awarded gold at the Building Better Healthcare Awards, where judges recognised innovation in design and facilities that create a positive, supportive, and therapeutic environment.

The university’s vice chancellor and chief executive, Professor David Green CBE DL, said: "We are delighted that our Elizabeth Garrett Anderson building, named after the first woman to qualify as a physician and surgeon in the UK, has been recognised as one of the very best healthcare education settings in the country.

"The creation of this facility has been an outstanding success and is already helping us to ensure our students, whether they are training to be a doctor, a nurse, an occupational therapist or a paramedic, have access to the very best educational surroundings and specialist equipment that will help them to become the skilled professionals our NHS so desperately needs."

The building includes an anatomy suite, mock GP consultation rooms, and shared learning spaces.

It has attracted numerous high-profile visitors, including the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, and the health secretary Wes Streeting.

The transformation of the Brutalist structure has also been shortlisted in the Architects’ Journal Awards 2024, and the university’s estates team is shortlisted in the Times Higher Education Awards for their work on the project.

In keeping with the university’s sustainability commitments, the refurbishment was completed to top environmental specifications and has achieved a highest possible environmental ratings of Gold SKA, which is the highest rating possible, from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.