Former hospital building to be transformed into academy

The former Bridgwater Community Hospital on Salmon Parade has been vacant since 2014

A former hospital building is set to be transformed into a health and social care academy.

The facility will be based at the former community hospital in Bridgwater, Somerset, along with a separate site in Minehead.

Sedgemoor District Council said the centre would help boost staff numbers in its health and social care sector.

The former community hospital, which dates back to 1865, has been vacant since 2014.

The council said £19.7m for the project had come from from the government's Levelling Up Fund.

There have been previous efforts to bring the grade II listed hospital building back into use

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a further 8,800 care staff will be needed in the district by 2035.

A council spokesperson said the site would become a "training centre of excellence in health and social care" - with an annexe being used at The Seahorse Centre on Stephenson Road in Minehead.

Councillor Ros Wyke, portfolio holder for development and assets, said: "This is a very exciting project to lift health and social care in Somerset to another level, in terms of the support we give the sector."

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