A new three-bed simulation ward has opened at St Peter’s Hospital, improving patient outcomes by giving clinical staff and medical students the opportunity to practice simulated medical procedures, including the treatment of cardiac arrest, and major trauma.
The simulation ward at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is funded by the money that the trust receives from medical schools for the teaching of medial students. It is located in the Education Centre at St Peter’s Hospital which is responsible for all clinical education at the site. The ward will benefit all clinical staff, from nurses and midwives, doctors of all grades and Allied Health Professionals, as well as the many medical students that spend time learning at the trust. It offers a vast selection of simulation experiences, from clinical skills to the most common scenarios that occur in clinical practice. In addition, there is a complementary simulation suite which can mimic major trauma on the roadside or an attack on the London Underground.
Professor Pankaj Sharma, then Director of Education at the trust, developed the new ward, he said: “The education landscape is rapidly evolving to train using simulation methods where clinicians and students in all patient professions can practice and receive feedback in a safe environment before going into clinical practice. This has huge advantages for patients as multiple training sessions on a simulator can be made before carrying out the procedure on a patient. It also gives clinicians the chance to tackle problems that they may encounter in the future. Patients can now be assured that the person dealing with their clinical issue has been trained over and over again.”
The simulation ward was officially opened by Mark Roland, Chief Medical Officer, on 24 April. He said: “This is a fantastic achievement and a great resource for our clinicians and students at ASPH, now and going forward. This ward allows our staff to master new skills in a clinical environment, just as pilots use simulators to learn and prepare for situations they may face in the future. Getting the ward up and running has been a real team effort by the Clinical Education and Estates teams.”
Pictured top: New simulation ward declared open. From left to right: Dr Mark Roland, Chief Medical Officer, Professor Pankaj Sharma, Former Director of Clinical Education, Dr. Zamaan Aga, Simulation Clinical Teaching Fellow, Angela Mongaudon, Strategic Head of Education and Knowledge Services, Esther-Louise Chiverton, Clinical Skills Education Lead, Alison Fernandes, Education Lead for Simulation and Deepa Raju, Clinical Educator for simulation, Resus and Clinical Skills.
Ninthujan Kumar - Third year Imperial College student. Ninthujan tries out the new simulation ward.
