The innovative suite provides a fully immersive training environment for staff across the Trust to develop a wide range of clinical and non-clinical skills, with technology available to create lifelike visual surroundings, sounds and smells to allow staff to develop skills, knowledge and confidence in a realistic learner-centred environment.
Other features include a high fidelity manikin with the ability to simulate convulsions for trainees practicing psychiatric treatments, such as electro convulsive therapy (ECT), and an array of medical equipment and tools. Cameras within the suite allow training exercises to be live streamed to a nearby Immersive Studio with space for 15 people to observe on multiple screens in a fully soundproofed environment.
Located at MPFT’s St George’s Hospital site in Stafford, the suite was officially opened by MPFT Chair, Jackie Small, and staff have already started making use of it.
The opening of the new facility follows the recent launch of a six-bedded ward based simulated environment at Cheadle Hospital, which features an array of clinical equipment along with high and mid fidelity manikins including: babies (0-28 days), children (7-11 years) and male and female adults.
The suites are managed by the Trust’s Medical Education Team (Stafford) and the Clinical Training Team (Cheadle), with both facilities providing staff across the organisation with learner-centred environments that are interactive, collaborative, experiential, and provide opportunity for repetition, feedback, evaluation and reflection.
Medical Education Service Lead for MPFT, Sian Shingler said:
“Immersive simulation will be a really powerful tool for MPFT going forward, not just for the huge scope of learning and development possibilities it can provide our staff, but also the opportunities for innovation it will provide. The suite is a multi-disciplinary facility, so whether clinical or non-clinical scenarios, the learning and experimentation it can facilitate will ultimately support the enhancement of our practices and ways of working in a completely safe and ethical way, benefitting not only our staff but ultimately our service users.“