A £150,000 immersive simulation suite to help teams at Walsall Manor Hospital train for a variety of scenarios has been officially opened today.

The new facility, which has been created near to the Medical Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) unit, includes an area that uses immersive technology to provide a multi-sensory learning space.

The Simulation Team joined representatives from Staffordshire University along with Christian Ward, Deputy Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Nursing Information Officer at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust and Louise Nickell, Group Director of Education and Training, for a tour.

Christian said: “This new suite will obviously enhance the training experience of our medical staff but it is something for the whole organisation to be proud of as it’s an absolutely fantastic facility.

“A lot of hard work and commitment has gone into this project with invaluable input from our Simulation Team and many other colleagues to ensure we have a high-quality environment. As well as the obvious benefits this brings to our clinical teams’ knowledge and skills, this provision will lead to better patient experience.”

The suite has been funded through the Dinwoodie Charitable Company, formed to improve healthcare by advancing the development and dissemination of medical knowledge and skills through post graduate healthcare education. And Walsall Healthcare is working in partnership with Staffordshire  University to provide training.

Topics covered include Bronchoscopy and Anaesthetist Study Days and procedure workshops. The “patients” include two extremely lifelike mannequins representing a child with Down’s syndrome and an elderly woman. The facility is open to all staff within the organisation, with the view of encouraging simulation based education across all disciplines.

Dr Huda Mahmoud, Consultant in Nephrology at Walsall Healthcare, said it had also been important to reflect different ethnicities of patients and to encourage a greater understanding of diverse care needs.