About our Network

Terms of Reference: London Simulation Network Steering Group 

NETWORK MISSION STATEMENT: 

To facilitate connections, collaboration and innovation across London with the aim of supporting delivery of high quality simulation based education. 

NETWORK VISION: 

The vision of the London Simulation Network is to build on the existing expertise, practice and experience of Sim Practitioners in London to develop a community of practice which fosters connections, communication, channels of working and collaborative working to improve simulation delivery, innovations and research opportunities. The Network belongs to and is driven by its members who see it as a forum for sharing good practice, supporting the development of its members, receiving support from its members and innovating together. There is recognition that the heterogenous nature of the network means there will be a number of different priorities and approaches; therefore the collective commitment is towards service/workforce requirements and alignment with national strategic goals, rather than standardisation. As a network we aspire to hear and respond to input from all in a democratic and equitable way. 

The vision aims to: 

• Raise the profile of simulation as a tool for effective development of the workforce and healthcare system in terms of patient safety, collaborative multi professional and interprofessional learning  

• Promote the use of simulation education that is planned and effectively integrated into healthcare curricula 
• Promote the use of simulation as tool for service improvement 

• Build a community of practice by 

• Strengthening relationships 
• Facilitating communication 

• Enable cross boundary working across geographical, speciality and disciplinary  
• Promote collaboration and sharing  

• Maximise use of current simulation education infrastructure capacity  

• Provide visibility of activity across the network 
• Identify and facilitate opportunities 

• Improve access 

• Support centre development 
• Technical support  
• Enable co-development +/- access to a library of evidence-based, peer reviewed simulation resources, including remote 

• Ensure quality 

• Formalise quality assurance, peer review and support systems, compliant with any national developments and standards, to underpin the design, delivery and evaluation of simulation education throughout the network 
• Develop a faculty development passport for clinical educators to support acquisition of knowledge and skills to enable the effective delivery of simulation education 

• Promote innovation and research within simulation 
• Consider equality, diversity, and inclusion within training 

PURPOSE OF STEERING GROUP: 

• To promote the use of simulation training to enhance patient experience, care and safety 
• To help define key priorities/articulate need and guide network focus and actions 
• To act as a spokesperson for their organization and disseminate information as needed 
• To liaise with relevant Regional and National bodies 

MEMBERSHIP: 

The steering group will consist of one representative member of each organisation* to ensure there is fair representation across the network but maintain a group size that will facilitate effective conversation and network steering. 

*The definition of organisation may vary, as the Network aims to represent across all areas of simulation including, but not restricted to: 

• primary care 

• secondary care – trusts, hospitals 
• Simulation centre 
• HEIs 
• special interest working groups/networks 
• all multi-professional groups 

• Patient/public representation 

The Simulation Team at UCLP will coordinate and chair the meetings. They will also work more widely to support the function and communication of the Network, and to facilitate work streams. They will act as a liaison representative between HEE and the network to articulate activity and need. They will not hold responsibility for funding. They will be directly accessible for contact by members via LSN@uclpartners.com. 

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF STEERING GROUP MEMBERS: 

These will include: 

• To be a conduit of information, acting as a spokesperson for their organization and disseminating information back as needed 
• To provide an overview and direction for simulation training in London  
• To articulate need and guide network focus and actions 
• To help define key network strategic priorities 
• To support and implement change 

• To communicate effectively with fellow steering group members, the wider network, HEE and the UCLP Simulation leadership team 

The outputs of the network should ultimately be determined by its members. The following areas of activity are offered by the UCLPartners Simulation Leads as suggested area of initial Steering Group focus, with recognition that these may change, evolve or grow with input and needs articulation from the network and steering group:  

• Improved communication channels, communicating effectively with learners, faculty, Trusts, HEIs, Schools, the HEE Regional Office and all other key stakeholders   
• Improved access, including to online content 
• Identifying opportunities for collaboration and forming partnerships in these areas 

• Promotion of innovation and research 
• Ensuring quality assurance of simulation training with appropriate evaluation and feedback and peer review/support 
• Developing and supporting faculty involved in simulation, including supporting formation of a simulation faculty network “passport” 
• Agreeing the content of the London Simulation Network events, including an annual London Simulation Learning Event 

WAYS OF WORKING: 

Principles of Working: 

The core values and principles of working are to be defined by the network during it’s first year of operation. 

Meetings:  

• Quarterly, for a duration of 90 minutes 

• All members of the steering group will be invited to attend, with the option to deputise if they are not available 
• Meetings will be chaired by the Simulation Network Team at UCLPartners 

Sharing of information:  

• Minutes of Steering Group Meetings will be recorded and stored by the UCLPartners Simulation Team – the content of this can be shared and disseminated more widely by Steering Group Members 

• UCLPartners will produce an annual report of Steering Group discussions and direction setting 
• Meeting group may make recommendations about working/network output, with subsequent ratification via email poll/time to disseminate back to local areas before decision made 

Review of working and terms of reference: 

• TOR agreed/amended at the commencement of the Steering Group Meetings on 19^th March 2021 

• The group will review the relevance and value of its work and the terms of reference on an annual basis, or earlier at the request of its members     

Terms and Conditions 

These ToR demonstrate the mutual interest of the Members of the LSN Steering Group to exchange information on simulation based education across London and to develop recommended responses. These ToR do not establish any obligation or legal requirement, nor do they establish any obligation to conduct any particular cooperative activity. They do not have any bearing on access to funding, responsibility for which is not held by the LSN.  These ToR may be modified or terminated by consensus of the Steering Committee.   

• Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust: Suleman Bhana/Roberts Klotins

• Barts Health NHS Trust: Rachel Gill

• Brunel University London Medical School: Dilshani Hunukumbure

• Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust: Nicky Dover

• Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: Kim Watts

• Croydon Health Services NHS Trust: Andrew Hartley

• East London NHS Foundation Trust: Lorena Valdearenas

• Epsom & St Helier University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Jessica Wadsworth

• Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust: Pratheeban Nambyiah

• Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust: Colette Laws-Chapman

• Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust: Harley Westlake

• Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: Corrinne Quah/Sini John

• Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust: Sadie Syed

• King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: Simon Calvert

• Kingston Hospital NHS Trust: Jemima Tyrell

• Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust: Tom Simpson

• London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust: Rita Russai

• London School of Paediatrics: Mehrengise Cooper
• LSBU: Gareth Evans

• Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: George Saleh

• NELFT NHS Foundation Trust: Bini Thomas

• North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust: Poonam Patel

• Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust: Cathy Carter

• Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust: Nick Murch

• Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust: Kate McElligott

• South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust: James Pathan/ Greg Billon

• South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust: Francesca Ducci

• St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Nicholas Gosling/Michael Puntis/Asanga Fernando

• The Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: Margarita Burmester

• The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust: Myooran Canagaratnam/Jessica Yakelely

• University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Beth Tennant

• Whittington Health NHS Trust: Paul Abdey

Kingston Simulation Centre (KASE) – Meet the simulation team at Kingston Hospital. Take a tour of their facilities and hear about what’s been going on at the KASE Centre.

Maudsley Simulation – Maudsley Simulation team invite us to a 360 tour of their centre in Lambeth Hospital, South London and the Maudsley Trust. They showcase some of the fantastic work they do and give us a taste of the power of 360 shooting. Maudsley Simulation is the UK’s first simulation training centre focusing on mental health with the aim of improving services for all who are affected or impacted by mental health issues.

UCLPartners Team – Meet the team at UCLPartners who are hosting your network, and hear some of the plans and activity happening around the London Simulation Network.

Chelsea and Westminster Simulation Centre – Say hello to Jennifer Hanrahan and the simulation team at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital! Watch this tour of their facilities and find out what’s going on at their centre.

Surgical simulation at the SAiL Centre – Meet Francis Ugwu and Rupali Shah, surgical simulation fellows at the Simulation and Interactive Learning (SaIL) Centre at St. Thomas’ House, GSTT. Take a tour of their facilities and get an insight into the technologies used in surgical simulation.

Homerton Simulation Centre– Explore the Homerton University Hospital Simulation Centre. Get a taste for some of the great courses they run and meet the team behind it.

St Bartholomew’s Simulation Centre – Meet the team at St Bartholomew’s Hospital who take us on a tour of their centre and facilities – don’t miss the chance to check out some of their innovative approaches to improving fidelity, including their amazing bespoke screen backdrop!

Royal Free Simulation Centre – Take a tour of the simulation facilities at the Royal Free Hospital and get the chance meet Nick, Suzanne, Michaella and Laura , some of the team behind the RFH sim centre. Find out about their procedural training, get a closer look at some of their equipment and watch a demo of the Upper GI simulator in action!

In the London Simulation Network monthly newsletters, we feature podcasts from members of the Network. Listen below:

Homerton’s Maternity Simulation Programme – In this podcast we hear from Kathryn Killicoat, an Obstetrics and Gynaecology Registrar at Barnet Hospital, who chats to Mary Craig, a Practice Development Midwife and Temenuga Dacheva, a Specialty Doctor in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Mary and Temenuga are two of the sim leads in the maternity department at the Homerton and they discuss their experience of running maternity simulations. If you would like to find out more about this work, get in touch with Temenuga at temenuga.dacheva@nhs.net.

Interprofessional Simulation – In this episode we hear from Libby Thomas, a Consultant in Emergency Medicine at KCH and Clinical Lecturer at QMUL and KCL, who chats with Network Lead, Lucy Brock, about the value of making simulation inter-professional. We hear about Libby’s PhD on inter-professional simulation and how it has informed her education and clinical practice today.

Psychologist in Simulation – Great Ormond Street Hospital clinical simulation centre introduced Gareth, a Psychologist into their team several months ago. In this podcast we hear from Emma, their sim lead and Gareth about why they brought him into the team and what we can learn from having this perspective embedded into simulations.

Paediatric Return to Acute Clinical Practice – Nia Williams, Ellie Bond, and Trisha Radia, Consultant Paediatricians from Kings Hospital and the Royal Free Hospital talk to us about the great work they are doing with the Paediatric Return to Acute Clinical Practice (PRACP) programme. We hear how it came to exist, how they use simulation as part of this and how they have (successfully!) adapted to remote delivery as a result of the pandemic.

Sustainability in Healthcare – Listen to Nicola Stoke, Anna Moore and Florence Wedmore discuss why we need to address the climate crisis in healthcare and how we can approach these difficult conversations through simulation. Nicola Stoke is a Medical Education & Simulation Fellow at the Homerton. Anna Moore is an Education & Simulation Fellow and Respiratory Registrar at Barts. Florence Wedmore is also an Education & Simulation Fellow at Barts as well as a Geriatrics Fellow. Anna and Florence are both organisers of the Barts staff sustainability group ‘Green at Barts Health’.

Antiracism in Simulation – Listen to Dr Liban Ahmed, an Education Fellow at Barts, and Dr Chetna Sharma, clinical academic fellow training to become a public health specialist discussing what racism in healthcare can look like, and what we can do in simulation to address it.

Creativity in Simulation: In conversation with Maria Esposito and Sabrina Vitello – Listen to a podcast conversation between Sabrina Vitello, a palliative care trainee and Maria Esposito, a simulation technician at Epsom and St Helier. They discuss the role of creativity in simulation, drawing on Maria’s previous roles and experience in the arts.

In Situ Simulation: In conversation with Taz El Menabawey and Amy Irvine – Listen to a podcast conversation between Amy Irvine and Taz El Menabawey – a GP and gastroenterologist working in Hackney and UCLH respectively. They have both been involved in setting up innovative in situ simulation programmes and talk about the benefits and challenges of setting up new in situ programmes in novel settings, namely primary care and endoscopy, and insights gained from the experience.

Innovating AHP Education: In conversation with Stephanie Mansell and Mandie Thomas – Listen to the first London Simulation Network podcast in which Stephanie Mansell, a consultant physiotherapist and simulation lead at the Royal Free Hospital, interviews Mandie Thomas, a physiotherapist and simulation lead at Barts Health, about her experiences transforming and innovating AHP education over the past 10 years. 

A New Neonatal Nurse Train the Trainer Programme – Mae Nugent (a Practice Development Nurse at UCLH), Dee Yissau (Education Lead for the London Neonatal Operational Delivery Network) and Tim Watts (a neonatologist at the Evelina London) describe the what, how and why the Neonatal Nurse Simulation Day. They found uniprofessional training to be an important tool to grow nurses confidence and familiarity with simulation and enable nurses to engage in interprofessional training and become ambassadors for interprofessional education.