A multi-million pound hospital in Manchester’s city centre has been announced as part of a partnership between Manchester Metropolitan University and the UK’s largest healthcare charity.
The £50million state-of-the-art facility aims to improve the region’s healthcare, as MMU and Nuffield Health collaborate on research and development, wellbeing and sickness prevention and train local healthcare and fitness professionals.
Nuffield Health’s new flagship private hospital will be built on MMU’s Elizabeth Gaskell site on Hathersage Road, which will be vacated in August when the university moves to the new £140million Birley Campus in the city centre.
David Mobbs, Group Chief Executive of Nuffield Health, said: “We are very much looking forward to the collaboration with the university a partnership which we believe will serve as a springboard to significantly improve the region’s healthcare provision and make a lasting contribution to the economy and the general wellbeing of everyone who lives and works in the North West.”
Nuffield Health are the largest healthcare charity in the UK, they are independent of Government and have no shareholders.
With Nuffield Health’s help, the University will create a new University Chair in Wellbeing with funding to support research public health, health promotion and health behaviour change.
University Vice-Chancellor Professor John Brooks said: “I am delighted that Nuffield Health has chosen this University as a strategic partner and will sponsor a Chair in Wellbeing.
“I am confident that the partnership will play to the strengths of both parties and will evolve to make a significant contribution to the policy framework for health and well-being in the UK.”
The long term vision for the pair includes plans for a network of wellbeing centres to help Manchester Community address wellbeing.
They intend to work with employers of Manchester to assist them in supporting their employees to prevent ill-health.
Education will play a huge part the partnership, creating undergraduate fitness, physiotherapy, nursing, and theatre operating practitioner work placements.
MMU and the health group will also develop Masters and Continuing Professional Development programmes for healthcare professionals in the region.
Mr Mobbs said: “Through the long-term engagement and dialogue with local communities, key business partners and with both the Manchester Metropolitan University and the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust, we will create a facility which complements the existing healthcare infrastructure of the North West, and serves as a hotbed for research and development.”
He added: “This is a truly exciting collaboration.”
