The Northumbria Health and Care Academy is developing immersive nursing and midwifery (PROMPT) training utilising the unique facilities they have to offer.
Here at Northumbria Health and Care Academy, we are proud to be delivering the Practical Obstetric Multi-Professional Training (PROMPT) programme for our multidisciplinary maternity teams. Recently, they’ve been making full use of our cutting-edge immersive suite to deliver dynamic, real-time simulations that reflect the complexities of modern maternity care.
These simulations take a multidisciplinary maternity team through the entire birthing journey, from home to hospital, replicating realistic scenarios including routine care, complications before birth, and emergency interventions. It’s a hands-on approach that prepares staff and students for the unpredictable nature of childbirth, helping them to develop confidence and competence in a safe, supportive environment.
These sessions aren’t just about replicating clinical skills, they’re about realism, decision-making under pressure, and developing confidence in the unknown. Participants are challenged to respond to ever-changing circumstances, just as they would in a real clinical setting.
Thanks to the suite’s state-of-the-art technology, participants can practise vital clinical skills such as cannulation and catheterisation, while observing live, responsive vital signs from working accurate vitals monitors. From managing haemorrhage to reacting to a cardiac arrest, the immersive suite enables trainees to engage with a broad range of scenarios, supported by real-time control from maternity staff in the control room. This roleplay encourages participants to think holistically, and adapt their responses in the moment based on the scenario they are in.
To further enhance realism, members of the midwifery team provide voice acting through the training mannequin, simulating the experience of working with real patients who may have complex emotional or clinical needs. This not only improves communication skills but also builds resilience in responding to unexpected requests or behaviours.
The immersive environments are highly adaptable, ranging from bustling home settings (complete with background noise like TVs and housework) to The Northumbria hospitals birthing suites and operating theatres. The walls in these environments have interactable items like a phone and emergency buzzer which ensure students practise the full range of clinical communication and escalation protocols, just as they would in real life.
Throughout the simulations, debriefing pauses are used to support learning, allowing educators to clarify expectations, address misconceptions, and reinforce best practice. This helps participants leave with a strong foundation in safe, evidence-based care.
Beyond technical skills, the simulations also focus on critical midwifery principles such as interpreting the passage of time, intermittent auscultation, and the process of ambulance transfer. Participants are trained to recognise early warning signs, such as elevated blood pressure or subtle patient complaints, that may indicate serious deterioration or adverse reactions, including those that could lead to cardiac arrest.
By blending realism with expert guidance, our immersive suite is preparing our maternity services for the realities of practice, ensuring they are ready to provide safe, compassionate, and responsive care to every family they support.
We’re also incredibly proud to share that our dedicated maternity team has been nominated for the Maternity and Midwifery Services Initiative of the Year at the HSJ Patient Safety Awards 2025. Their nomination recognises the team’s outstanding work in improving patient safety through immersive simulation technology, a testament to their innovation, commitment, and the impact of high-quality training on patient care.
If you’d like to hear more about the incredible work happening within our maternity services, tune in to our Ten Minute Takes Podcast. In a recent episode, guests Ali Bommel and Angela Ayuk share insights into their roles and explain how they harness the academy’s resources to deliver exceptional training and support for midwives across the trust.