Training for real-life medical emergencies is a vital part of healthcare education in the NHS and Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is leading the way with its high-tech simulation facilities.
The Trust’s simulation centre is an award-winning recognised centre of excellence, providing simulation and technical skills training for health professionals both regionally and nationally.
One of only two trusts in Yorkshire and Humber to have been awarded ASPiH (Association for Simulated Practice in Healthcare) accredited organisation status, Bradford Teaching Hospitals’ simulation centre is purpose-built with a range of advanced, high-fidelity manikins.
With two clinical areas, the simulation centre can be transformed into a variety of clinical settings, including a resuscitation area, an operating theatre, ICU room and a ward setting.
It provides staff with a real-life environment to train for many different medical emergencies and scenarios and now has a new maternity manikin which adds to the suite of manikins with different skin tones, reflecting Bradford’s diverse patient population.
Manikins are sophisticated, full-body models which support scenarios from basic vital signs to advanced life support, featuring interactive capabilities like breathing, pulse detection and vocal responses.
The Trust is the first in the UK to introduce Laerdal’s new MamaAnne dark-skinned birthing manikin which is a maternal and birthing simulator for high-fidelity simulation training in critical obstetric emergencies.
Simulation Training Lead, Tracey Harrison, said:
The new birthing manikin is a great addition as it’s far more advanced than our previous one and helps staff recognise clinical signs on darker skin tones, such as jaundice and rashes which is critical to delivering safe patient care, especially in emergencies.
Our manikins, including adults, children, toddlers and babies, already reflect a broader range of skin tones, which is vital when providing care to diverse communities. They improve teaching and better equip staff to identify signs of health issues and deterioration sooner.
Simulation instils confidence in staff – through repeated, realistic practice our teams develop muscle memory and communication strategies that translate into clinical performance.
It is not just about the mechanics of doing things. In many ways the manikins are treated like real-life patients, so we are looking at how staff explain and communicate with them, respect their privacy and dignity and work as a team.
The MamaAnne manikin not only performs standard deliveries but is also capable of complex birthing scenarios including breach births and shoulder dystocia.
Hear from our Simulation Centre colleagues about using manikins helps build skills that save lives: https://youtu.be/2XA0qMK_ObY