A new and innovative way of training staff in Kent and Medway’s GP surgeries – including the use of virtual reality headsets – is helping them to prepare for emergency situations.
Using a combination of digital equipment and simulation exercises, staff are experiencing everything from a patient having a heart attack in their waiting room to a baby with anaphylactic shock.
The training, which allows people to experience an emergency in a safe setting, involves everyone in the surgery, from admin and reception staff to GPs, nurses and pharmacists.
Sukh Singh, Director of Primary Care at NHS Kent and Medway, said: “Although staff complete regular life support training, most of them have never experienced roleplaying scenarios in their own surgery. They have their own equipment to hand and are acting as themselves – nobody is pretending to be a patient as we use mannequins, often with Bluetooth speakers to add an extra touch of realism.”
The scenarios last around 20 minutes but are followed by an extensive feedback session that allows everyone to contribute. Staff look at what went well and what could be improved upon, which often results in immediate and lasting changes such as having a well-labelled and easily accessible trolley containing emergency equipment.
The training is run by the Kent, Sussex and Surrey Primary Care Simulation faculty with funding from Health Education England Primary Care School, with support from Kent and Medway Primary Care Training Hub.
As well as in surgeries, training is also carried out at the Folkestone-based Digital Innovation Centre where equipment includes an age simulation suit and virtual reality headsets that allow users to experience situations such as diabetic hypos, mimicking the symptoms a patient experiences when their blood sugar level becomes too low. They also deliver training via immersive gamification, engaging attendees using games and elements of competition.
The centre also includes a simulation suite set up as a care home residents’ room which is home to a digitally enabled mannequin. She is known as ESTHER, after a Swedish model of care that strives to improve personalised care for the elderly. Weighing as much as an adult, she speaks, cries, blinks and ‘breathes’, allowing staff to practice everything from taking blood pressure to inserting a catheter.
Dr Robert Stewart, Medical Director for Education and Research at the Digital Innovation Centre, said: “We believe in technology enabled care that brings learning to life – if the tech doesn’t improve patient care then we’re not interested. Our aim is to increase confidence as well as competency; our facilities allow people to practice scenarios without putting anyone at risk.”
The centre has plans to deliver their technology-enabled training across Primary Care Networks in Kent and Medway via a mobile unit, reducing exclusion for rural and coastal communities.
Sukh Singh continued: “Delivering this kind of training across health and social care will ease pressure on the system as a whole. For example, if care home staff are properly trained, they will know when to escalate issues, when a GP needs to be contacted and perhaps more importantly, when a patient can be treated in their own environment and doesn’t need to go to hospital.
“It’s really important that staff are allowed time to continue their training throughout their careers. Occasionally this means a surgery will close for a few hours but this is time well spent – staff need time to learn and share experiences. We want to continue to innovate in primary care and this type of training will only lead to better patient care.”
For more information on general practice services, visit www.kentandmedway.icb.nhs.uk/your-health/local-services/general-practice-services. To find out more about the Digital Innovation Centre, visit www.digitalinnovationcentre.care/.
