The Centre

Our aim is to improve value to patient care and organisational learning.

  • Leading educational excellence to develop staff and team expertise 
  • Application of human factors and ergonomics science to promote resilience and high reliability
  • Promoting high-quality research, innovation and scholarship with translation to practice
  • Developing and participating in communities of practice and collaborative networks
  • Engaging patient and public members as active partners in our work       
  • Improving staff and student learning experience and wellbeing (within NUH).

About Our Work

The Trent Simulation and Clinical Skills Centre is based at the QMC, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK.

We are a training and education centre specialising in clinical skills, human factors, and patient safety training for multiprofessional teams at undergraduate and post qualification levels. We are a key regional centre for simulation based learning in the East Midlands.

We develop and deliver training that looks at the organisational issues of the multiprofessional workforce with particular emphasis on teams, leadership, attitudes and communication between and amongst healthcare professionals.

We provide a unique and innovative facility supporting and promoting multi/interprofessional training opportunities using all forms of simulation - part task trainers, advanced human patient manikins and simulated patients.

We also support clinical skills based courses ranging from programmes such as IV Cannulation through to advanced laparoscopic surgery incorporating live links to theatres. Accredited by the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh for Basic Surgical Skills courses, we also offer nationally recognised courses including Generic Instructors Course and Advanced Paediatric Life Support.

The centre has two floors, which comprise the full immersion high fidelity simulation suite and ground floor clinical skills where more hands on clinical training takes place including surgical skills, resuscitation courses and faculty development. We also support a wide range of communication skills based training via our simulated patient programmes.

As part of our patient safety improvement and human factors work, we develop and deliver in –situ simulation events with a structured human factors analysis and feedback.

Accredited by the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh for basic surgical skills courses, we also offer nationally recognised courses including generic instructors course and advanced paediatric life support.

Since we opened in March 2014 we have trained more than 10,000 staff in a wide range skills and behaviours and have also welcomed in many schools and students who have learnt about NHS careers and immersed themselves in our simulated operating theatre.

Key Aims

  • To promote interprofessional learning and training
  • To ensure that learning has foundation in education theory and practice with a strong research background
  • To carry out evaluation and audit, with specific interest in how learning is put into practice in the clinical environment
  • The development and delivery of learning that looks at the organisational issues of the multiprofessional workforce with particular emphasis on teams, leadership, attitudes and communication between and amongst healthcare professionals
  • To establish strong links to clinical risk /governance framework
  • To operate on a national, regional and local level.
  • To be proactive in developing partnership and collaborative working with health and educational organisations

National and regional focus

  • Key links with Trent Multi Professional Deanery
  • Trent regional projects - Clinical Skills Forum, Effective Learning Communities
  • Research - TreSCUE (analysis of learning needs of anaesthetic trainees in Trent leading to the development and evaluation of uni & multidisciplinary training programmes)
  • MATCH - liaising with the Multidisciplinary Assessment of Technology Centre for Healthcare
  • National Patient Safety Agency - exploring opportunities for participation in national and local projects sponsored by the NPSA.

Partners and networks

The activities and programmes that we develop and deliver ultimately aim to improve the quality and safety of patient care. This includes looking at how learning is transferred into practice.

We strongly believe in partnership working and collaboration and value the benefits of learning with and from a wide network of subject experts from health, academic institutions and industry partners.

Education is moving at a fast pace and a key direction has always been to promote and support innovation, enabling access to as many people as possible. Do contact us if you’d like to explore a joint project with us.

We’d also like to thank all of our colleagues and partners in the NHS, academic institutions, NUH Charity and industry who have supported us and joined us in delivering our extensive programme of teaching and education since we opened in 2014.