Wye Valley NHS Trust, which runs Hereford County Hospital, said in 2024 it wanted the new facility next to the hospital to “combine state-of-the-art simulation, clinical skills rooms, a modern library and information hub and a large bespoke lecture theatre”. This would “expand and enhance” education at the hospital itself, making it “a destination for students and staff for high-quality education”, boosting their recruitment and retention. RELATED NEWS: “Our intention is also to make this facility available to the local community in order to encourage and foster mutually beneficial links with community groups, patients and the public,” its 2023/24 annual report added. But its annual report a year later made no mention of the centre – despite a planning application for the project having been submitted in late 2024 and approved last September. Planning officer Ollie Jones concluded the scheme was “located in a highly accessible, edge-of-centre site with connectivity to public transport, and [would] consolidate existing teaching provision into a modern, fit-for-purpose building”. OTHER NEWS: A spokesperson for the trust confirmed: “The scheme got planning permission last year but is currently paused while we consider alternative funding approaches – so no timescale currently.” Herefordshire Council had earmarked £6 million to get the scheme off the ground, which it said would be funded by “return on investment”. But its latest draft capital budget shows this sum as “removed” from the current financial year’s spending – which Cabinet member for finance Coun Pete Stoddart confirmed.
