Learning resources designed to support nurses returning to the NHS, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, are being made nationally available.
Nursing simulation activity at Staffordshire University
Yesterday, we estimated that around 1,000 people needed access to the resources. Two national bodies – Health Education England (HEE) and the Association of Simulated Practice in Healthcare (ASPIH) – have since asked if it would be possible for them to direct people to these materials.
The resources – which include videos, PowerPoint presentations and PDFs that explain common procedures such as catheterisation, taking bloods, drug calculations, and moving and handling patients – have already been shared with a number of regional NHS Trusts, whose numbers are set to be boosted by final-year nursing students and retired NHS nurses.
In response to high levels of uptake and requests from national bodies, Staffordshire University has now made these materials available to everyone. In addition to guidance on best practice, the resources include the latest information available on COVID-19, plus potentially life-saving resuscitation procedures for infected patients.
Developed by staff from the School of Health and Social Care, with input from members of the local healthcare community, the free-to-access materials also include links to national learning programmes.
Emily Browne, Senior Lecturer in Patient Safety and Simulation and Teaching Excellence Fellow, said: “We have been sharing some of our learning resources with NHS Trusts to allow them to rapidly upskill their colleagues who are returning from retirement to support COVID-19.
“Yesterday, we estimated that around 1,000 people needed access to the resources. Two national bodies – Health Education England (HEE) and the Association of Simulated Practice in Healthcare (ASPIH) – have since asked if it would be possible for them to direct people to these materials.”
In light of these requests, and in a bid to support the national response to the COVID-19 crisis, staff from the University’s School of Health and Social Care worked with their colleagues in the Digital Services and Web teams to create a digital resource that NHS Trusts and other health organisations can use to access the training materials.
Dr Ann Ewens, Dean of the School of Health and Social Care , said: “It’s important that we all do what we can to offer support at this critical time. If access to our learning materials helps retired and redeployed nurses get back onto the wards, departments and other areas of practice, offering patient care to those who need it, then we are delighted to be doing this.”