The new simulation lab has ‘revolutionised’ the training of Maternity and Neonatal teams at the Women’s Hospital, part of Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, as well as hospitals across the region, offering the opportunity to learn and train ‘in a risk-free environment’.
Fitted with the latest technology, the suite has four dedicated areas all kitted out as ‘real-life’ working wards and departments – including a maternity delivery simulation room, a neonatal unit, and a gynaecology and theatre simulation room. There is also a seminar and training room, and a debrief area, which provides participants an opportunity to seek feedback, review, and learn, in a supportive environment.
Thanks to projector technology, colleagues can ‘live-simulate ‘various environments – including a home birth scenario, the arrival at delivery suite in the back of an ambulance, and a typical delivery suite and ward environment. As the space offers more than one room, multiple teams can be trained simultaneously, for example in a scenario with a baby being born in car park, and then moved – with the mother – to the delivery suite, followed by the baby being moved to the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust says the use of simulation training is advocated by NHS England ‘as one of the most successful education enablers’, equipping learners with hands-on experience of what they are expected to do, act upon, escalate, and – in some cases – inform decision-making as a practitioner.
Historically, the Trust says, colleagues had either to complete their training in meeting rooms which didn’t provide a life-like experience, in bedspaces which may need to be used by patients, or rely on external simulation sites – which took colleagues out of the hospital, and didn’t always meet the Maternity and Neonatal teams’ specific training needs
Matt Nash, Consultant Neonatologist and Clinical Director for Maternity and Neonates at Birmingham Women’s Hospital, said: “We are of only two specialist Women’s Hospitals in the UK, covering a spectrum of disciplines relating to women’s health. It’s important that our practitioners have the right knowledge, skills, competency, confidence, and expertise, to deliver the best treatment and care.
“We’re blown away by the new simulation lab, and the generosity of Mr Davies’ charitable trust. It’s a game-changer for us, as no other simulation lab provides this level of fidelity or realism in a maternity and neonatal setting.”
George Davies added: “The George Davies Charitable Trust was created to support children in many parts of the world. That includes patients at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospitals, who I first started supporting in 2006, after the hospital saved the life of my granddaughter, Evie, who was born with Truncus Arteriosus, a rare congenital heart defect.
Eighteen years on, Evie has just started university, and I’m delighted to once again be supporting the Trust and its new simulation lab. Hearing from staff, it’s clear this ground-breaking facility will be an invaluable resource.”
Mark Brider, CEO of Birmingham Women’s Hospital Charity, said: “This £1 m gift is transformational for our hospital. We have world-class clinicians working on some of the most complex cases in gynaecological, maternity, and neonatal health, so it’s important they can refresh and enhance their skills, to improve patient experience and outcomes. Without our hospital teams’ vision, and the backing of the George Davies Charitable Trust, our new simulation lab wouldn’t have been possible. We’re so very grateful.”