A new family has taken up residence in Yeovil Hospital’s training academy and is helping to train doctors, nurses and others in lifesaving techniques.
The family of life-like patient simulators arrived in hospital earlier this year, thanks to a £7,000 grant from the Yeovil Hospital League of Friends. They have since become an invaluable part of the toolkit routinely used by the hospital to train new staff, hone the skills of existing clinicians, and even train parents of children with life-threatening health conditions.
The hi-tech and anatomically correct simulators can be attached to common hospital monitoring equipment, to provide life-like readings which respond to the trainee’s actions. They can even be attached to a defibrillator to receive a ‘life-saving’ shock.
Karen Spearman, Resuscitation Officer at Yeovil Hospital, said:
“Our team uses these simulators every week to provide training to nurses, midwives, and all grades of doctors. Their design and the technology they contain enables us to clearly demonstrate practical skills, such as intubation, and allows staff to safely test their knowledge in a controlled environment. Without them our training would be far more theoretical.
“The benefits of these simulators go further than the hospital too. I have used them to provide training to parents and grandparents of children living with health conditions which can require sudden, urgent care. Sometimes, it’s just not possible to get a patient to an emergency department in time for treatment, and this means families can do what is necessary to save a child’s life at home.”
“We’re so grateful to the League of Friends for their funding. It’s not an exaggeration to say they are helping to save patients’ lives.”
Chair of the League of Friends, Anne Bennett, said: “It’s been fascinating to see these simulators in action, and to learn how they’re being used to equip staff with the skills they need to help people at the most critical and crucial of times.
“This is exactly the kind of thing which the League of Friends is here for – using our valuable funds to make a difference to the hospital, and in turn make a difference to patients.”
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