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Training provider celebrates its half-century

For Eastwood Park, 2019 is more significant than most. This year the long-established training centre celebrates 50 years of delivering specialist engineering, decontamination, and estates and facilities management training. Helen Cornes, senior marketing executive at the Gloucestershire training facility, looks back at its development, and at how its course portfolio has both adapted and expanded over the years, in line with the significant changes in the sector.

Since 1969, Eastwood Park has hosted trainees, engineers, managers, and directors in their formative years – many of whom are now working in healthcare services all over the world, and are today sending their teams for the latest training. Fifty years on, the centre continues to provide world-class healthcare and FM training. Eastwood Park, ‘the training centre’, was founded in 1969 when the Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS) acquired the estate and established the Hospital Engineering Centre, delivering residential training for National Health Service engineering staff. A short while later, the first ever course for all grades of NHS hospital engineers – ‘Electronics appreciation’ – was delivered, and the centre commonly became known as ‘Falfield’ among NHS employees – a name still frequently used among Eastwood Park’s longstanding delegates today. 

In the summer of 1977, the centre extended its facilities with the opening of the brand new Northcroft Hall (today renamed Falfield). It was opened by former President of the Institute of Hospital Engineering (now IHEEM), Lionel Northcroft OBE. 

A strong and close rapport

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Upcoming Events

The Fire Safety Event 2024

National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham
30th April - 2 May 2024

Wales regional conference, exhibition and awards dinner 2024

International Conference Centre (ICC) Newport
28th - 29th May 2024

NAHFO National Conference 2024

Crowne Plaza Newcastle Upon Tyne
3rd - 5th June 2024

Design in Mental Health 2024

Manchester Central
4th - 5th June 2024

InstallerSHOW 2024

National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham
25th - 27th June

Healthcare Estates 2024

Manchester Central
8th-9th October 2024

Access the latest issue of Health Estate Journal on your mobile device together with an archive of back issues.

Download the FREE Health Estate Journal app from your device's App store

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