New Life Special Care Babies, a UK-based charity, is pleased to announce the funding of a second Premmie Anne manikin for the Neonatal Department of the North Bristol NHS Trust. This new manikin, known as ‘Premmie Anne’, will greatly enhance the department’s ability to provide critical training and care for premature and critically ill newborns.
The first Premmie Anne manikin was funded by New Life Special Care Babies nearly a decade ago for the Neonatal Department in Bristol. Over the years, this invaluable tool has played a vital role in numerous training sessions and simulations, contributing significantly to the development of neonatal care skills. However, after 8-9 years of extensive use, the first manikin is now in need of repairs, limiting its functionality to a low-fidelity task trainer.
The funding for the new Premmie Anne manikin will enable the Bristol Neonatal Department to continue delivering high-quality training in several crucial areas. This includes point-of-care simulation and multidisciplinary team training, deanery courses, and departmental teaching.
Point-of-care simulation and multidisciplinary team training sessions take place in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Clinical Decision Unit (CDU), and antenatal wards. These sessions provide medical staff with the opportunity to practice and refine their skills in real-world settings.
The Neonatal Step-Up to Registrar course and the Practical Procedures course, which benefit doctors in training throughout the Severn deanery, will also benefit from the new manikin. It will assist them in practicing intubation skills, managing difficult airways, and making critical clinical decisions in a safe, simulated environment before taking on senior roles.
The new manikin will also be used for departmental teaching, such as a recent session on the practicalities of withdrawal of intensive care for senior trainees. This training is crucial for visualizing and managing the transition of preterm babies from ventilators and incubators to parental care. The session, held every six months, consistently receives positive feedback, and there are plans to expand it into a regional course.
The primary beneficiaries of these enhanced training programs are the babies under the care of the Bristol Neonatal Department. By allowing doctors and nurses to practice their skills, make informed decisions, and work effectively as a team in a simulated environment, they are better prepared for real-life situations.
Dr Madhavi Parvathareddy, Associate Specialist Neonatologist, said, “The direct benefits for the babies we care for is that doctors and nurses have had the opportunity to practice skills, decision making, and team working in a safe simulated environment. We are in the process of setting up a regular MDT sim program with our maternity sim team as per the Ockenden report recommendations, and we hope to launch it later this year.”
She added, “The new Premmie Anne manikin represents more than just an advanced training tool; it symbolizes our shared dedication to providing the highest standard of care and education. We are excited about the future opportunities this will bring to the Bristol Neonatal Department and look forward to sharing more updates and photos from their training sessions.”
Trevor Goodall, Founder and CEO of New Life, expressed his gratitude to the charity’s supporters, whose generosity made this acquisition possible. He said, “Their contributions continue to make a profound impact on neonatal services across the UK, as well as the lives of the babies and families served by the Bristol Neonatal Department.”
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