Trust uses simulation-based learning

Simulation-based learning may have been around for decades, but it’s set to play a more prominent role in clinical training in the community.

The Heathside Centre, in Coxheath, Maidstone is home to Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust’s (KCHFT) first simulation training suite.

There, in one of the centre's training clinics, is Jo who is tucked up in bed, breathing heavily, with a nasty cough.

By Jo’s side is Suzie Sackey, a healthcare assistant and registered nurse degree apprentice, who is listening intently to Jo’s chest with a stethoscope.

But Jo isn't real – she's a sophisticated mannequin whose symptoms are being remotely triggered through a computer controlled by Julie Jeffries, Head of KCHFT’s Clinical Academy.

It’s all part of a simulation exercise to help students and clinical colleagues practice and hone their clinical skills in a safe and experiential environment.

Julie explained: “As a community trust, we are on the front-foot in using simulation in our training practices. What’s unique for us is we are able to create situations that students and apprentices are likely to experience in the community.

"We’ll replicate a patient’s home environment for our student community nurses and we can adapt this for our physios and occupational therapists, who relate more to being in a clinic environment.”

The simulation room at Heathside Centre looks like a normal clinical room with a bed, a privacy curtain and an array of medical equipment lining the wall.

The simulation technology is not just a safe space for students and apprentices to apply theory and practice technique.

It can also be used by qualified colleagues who want extra confidence in situations they may not experience very often.

Julie said: “We can run scenarios to make things as realistic as possible, giving colleagues the chance to develop their critical thinking, assessment and team building skills to problem solve a case together.

They can walk away feeling confident that if they encountered that in practice, they would know what to do, resulting in better patient care in the community.”

Suzie Sackey began her four-year registered nurse degree apprenticeship in February 2023 and said having access to the simulation technology is a boost to her confidence when visiting patients in the community.

“It gives us real-life scenarios where we can observe changes in breathing, heart rate, temperature as well as areas of pain, so when we see the warning signs of a condition in a patient, we have the knowledge to deal with it. I’m gaining so much confidence as a result,” explained Suzie.

Julie said: “The future of simulation and immersive learning is really exciting and we are planning more facilities across our community settings in an effort to bring learning resources to colleagues, rather than them having to travel elsewhere.”

KCHFT’s Clinical Academy supports nursing and allied health professionals across the organisation. To learn about its career opportunities, visit www.kentcht.nhs.uk/careers.