Enoch Moses (Simulation Facilitator),
Dr Nicholas Ward (Clinical Director for Simulation),
Mary Holding (Simulation Technician) and
Dr Sinead Conlon (Medical Education Fellow).
An education team based at Watford General Hospital has received national accreditation for providing top quality simulation-based training for staff.
The simulation team deliver a safe learning environment for around 1,700 staff a year at West Herts Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust through an immersive educational approach that replicates real-life medical scenarios.
Simulation training is hugely beneficial, enabling a range of staff from student nurses to specialist doctors to practice in a safe, non-judgemental learning environment where they can improve their technical and people skills, plus gain confidence. It’s the equivalent of teaching pilots to fly in a simulator before they take control of a plane on a runway.
Following a year of collating evidence, the accreditation recognises the team’s outstanding work in creating safe, immersive learning experiences. This makes West Herts just one of a small number of Trusts in England to have achieved the accolade, awarded by the Association for Simulated Practice in Healthcare (ASPiH).
Simulation offers hands-on practice in a risk-free environment, building staff confidence and competence. It also helps teams prepare for rare or high-stakes scenarios.
Training takes place in a state-of-the-art two-bed simulation suite, equipped with life-like manikins, including a birthing manikin. Sessions are filmed and streamed for detailed debriefing and group learning. Evaluation clearly shows that 99.9% of staff feel they have achieved their learning objectives by the end of the course.
Bruce Kerr, Simulation Lead for the Trust, said: “We’re thrilled to be recognised nationally for our commitment to safe, high-quality simulation training. This reflects years of hard work by a dedicated team focused on improving care and patient safety.”
The team is also highly regarded in the East of England region and acts as a regional training centre for the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and Royal College of Anaesthetists.