23 June 2009

Clinical Skills mobile unit visits Dundee

* Photo opportunity to view hi-tech simulation facilities on unit
- 2.15pm, Wednesday June 24th
- Outside Blood Transfusion Service, Level 6, Ninewells

A state-of-the-art mobile medical education unit which is bringing specialised clinical skills training to practitioners and students across Scotland will be on show at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee on Wednesday.

Hosted by the University of Dundee, the pioneering Mobile Clinical Skills Unit has been funded by NHS Education for Scotland for a 2-year pilot period, to provide education in remote and rural areas that is otherwise only available in fixed facilities in urban centres, such as the Clinical Skills Centre at Ninewells.

As part of the pilot, seven remote and rural areas were selected: Fort William, Wick, Oban, Stranraer, Orkney, Kelso and Shetland. The unit has already visited each of these for two-to three-week periods and training has been delivered direct to staff and students who would normally have to travel some distance to access these services.

The unit is equipped to a high standard, and allows team work to take place using interactive adult, child and baby manikins that can be programmed to have a variety of conditions. The manikins are so realistic they breathe, talk, cry, cough, their eyes dilate and they respond to interventions and medication like real patients.

Scenarios can be run that replicate real incidents and the team can practise in a safe environment, learn from this, and be well prepared for handling similar, real life incidents in the future. The video system allows the scenarios to be recorded, played back and analysed.

The unit is part of the Clinical Skills Managed Educational Network, led by Dr Jean Ker, Director of Health Skills and Education at the University of Dundee. She said, 'The mobile skills unit will ensure all health care practitioners have access to skills training wherever they practise in Scotland. This will mean that patients wherever they are in Scotland will receive high quality care from skilled staff'.

The unit will be at Ninewells on Wednesday (June 24th) and will be open for staff and students to view from 14:30 until 16:30 hrs. It is hoped that the visit will raise awareness of the facility and encourage more urban-based staff to consider using it to deliver education in remote and rural areas.

The project is one of the key elements of the Scottish Clinical Skills Strategy, which was launched by the Minister for Health, Ms Nicola Sturgeon, in September 2007.

More information can be found on the website at: www.csmen.ac.uk/projects/mobile_skills_unit.htm.

For media enquiries contact:
Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk