A specialist facility which takes nurse training and patient safety to new levels has launched at Staffordshire University.
Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Ieuan Ellis, Dean Ann Ewens and LEP chairman David Frost CBE
We want Staffordshire University’s name to be synonymous with patient safety and the Clinical Simulation Suite is a key part of that.
The Clinical Simulation Suite received £176,000 of funding from Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire LEP Local Growth Fund which has enabled the purchase of observation recording equipment, emergency care patient and clinical skills manikins, defibrillators, AED trainers and Dinamap machines.
The launch is part of the University’s dedicated Health Week which, taking place between International Day of the Midwife and International Nurses Day, has included a Patient Safety conference, public lecture on ‘the Strange Land of dementia’ and showcase by student paramedics in Stafford town centre.
Staffordshire University Dean of the School of Health and Social Care Dr Ann Ewens said: “We want Staffordshire University’s name to be synonymous with patient safety and the Clinical Simulation Suite is a key part of that.
“We are grateful to Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire LEP which has helped us create the professional working environment to develop employable and experienced graduates who have patient care and safety at their core.”
The Clinical Simulation Suite was created to support the introduction of nursing degrees at Staffordshire University’s main Stoke-on-Trent campus. Building on existing delivery at Stafford and Shrewsbury Centres of Excellence in Healthcare Education, the University recruited 30 new student Adult Nurses at Stoke last September and is looking to double the number of Adult Nurses starting this Autumn.
Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire LEP chairman David Frost CBE said: “We are delighted to support Staffordshire University in this exciting new initiative which represents a major step forward in clinical training. It will not only promote patient safety and top-quality care but will also equip our local graduates with the advanced skills they need to make our area a centre of healthcare excellence.”
Already, the facilities have been used for a day-long full scale emergency simulation scenario bringing together students from across the University’s healthcare programmes, from student paramedics through to nurses and midwives.
Senior Lecturer in Patient Safety and Simulation, Emily Browne said: “The observation and control room means students can be fully immersed into realistic clinical environments Facilitators can then observe externally whilst controlling the high tech manikins.
“Having a dedicated Debriefing Room in which fellow students can watch the live streamed footage from the simulation and actively participate in the structured debriefing at the end is where the real learning takes place. This facility takes our ability to deliver simulation-based education to the next level.”