Specialist suite takes nurse training to new levels at Staffordshire University

A specialist facility which takes nurse training and patient safety to new levels has launched at Staffordshire University’s Stoke-on-Trent campus.

The Clinical Simulation Suite received £176,000 of funding from Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire LEP’s 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 on May 9 was part of the University’s dedicated Health Week which, taking place between International Day of the Midwife and International Nurses Day, 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 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 Brown said: “The observation and control room means facilitators can immerse students into realistic clinical environments and observe externally whilst controlling the high tech manikins from the control room.

“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.”

Notes 

Local Growth Fund

Local Enterprise Partnerships are playing a vital role in driving forward economic growth across the country, helping to build a country that works for everyone. That’s why by 2021 Government will have invested over £12bn through the Local Growth Fund, allowing LEPs to use their local knowledge to get all areas of the country firing on all cylinders. Analysis has shown that every £1 of Local Growth Fund invested could generate £4.81 in benefits.

Further information: If you would like some further facts about the Fund, or the wider regeneration work going on across the country, please contact MHCLG press office by emailing NewsDesk@communities.gsi.gov.uk in the first instance to request any additional information you might need.

Some additional key facts:

• There are 38 LEPs covering the whole of England
• The government has awarded £9.1bn in three rounds of Growth Deals to local areas to drive economic growth.
• LEPs are investing in a wide range of projects informed by detailed analysis of the most pressing economic needs in each of their areas, including transport, skills, business support, broadband, innovation and flood defences.

Some Midlands Engine key facts:

• The government is committed to making the Midlands an Engine for Growth in the UK, increasing economic growth and improving the quality of life for everyone. The Midlands is home to over 10 million people and over 780,000 businesses. Its economy is worth £217.7 billion.
• So far the government has awarded £1.9 billion in three rounds of Growth Deals across the Midlands.
• 8 Enterprise Zones have been established in the Midlands Engine since 2012, and 3 zones have been extended. By March 2016 these had attracted almost £1 billion of private investment, and created 85 new businesses and 7,291 jobs.