Left to Right – Clare Walden – Alison Stewart – Linda Parker – Martin Newton – Jo-Anne Halliwell
|
Next month the North West of England welcomes the latest addition to the simulation community. On the 4th of July 2013 Blackpool Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust will officially open its brand new state of the art simulation centre. This is a tremendous step forward for the region, and from the point of view of the Centre for Simulation and Patient Safety, based in Cheshire and Merseyside it marks the start of a new era of even greater collaboration across a much wider area.
| Helen Box |
Although the new centre doesn't officially open until July a great deal of work has already gone into identifying links across the region, and seeking out opportunities for partnership. Helen Box, Associate Director of Medical Education believes strongly in a collaborative approach in simulation, and has been keen to learn from other centres in the North West. Helen argues that "if the simulation community is going to grow and make a real impact on safety, then we need to accept that we can achieve much more if we work together." This is a message that resonates with us, and the North West Simulation Education Network.
The recently assembled team at Blackpool are understandably very excited to get started, and have planned an interesting a varied programme for the open day. Alison Stewart, Head of Simulation and Clinical Skills feels there will be something for everyone, and that the open day will really showcase the impressive facilities available. Alison (pictured below) explains that the intent is to highlight to frontline staff and senior management, both within the hospital and the wider region, the valuable role simulation has to play in reducing error and promoting better teamwork.
"We plan to take full advantage of our captive audience and will deliver lectures on human factors and patient safety. We have invited speakers who have a track record in simulation and patient safety such as Professor Ralph Mckinnon of the North West Simulation Education Network, and Jeff Goulding from the Centre for Simulation and Patient Safety to share their experiences. The aim is to enlighten and enthuse. However, we want to go further and make the day truly interactive. There will be live simulation exercises during which attendees can participate."
The open days itself is actually part of a "Patient Safety Week" which includes clinical skills updates and "human factors" training. If you can get there're you should it promises to be a very interesting and informative day. The Centre for Simulation and Patient Safety will be there, and we look forward to working very closely with the Sim Team at Blackpool into the future.
