What would you like to do now? The simulated scenario asks Alice as her patient lies lifeless without a pulse.

“I’d like to view the defib screen,” Alice replies and this appears immediately. On seeing and interpreting this, Alice decides to deliver a shock to her patient. The animated characters who are healthcare staff in the scenario stand back as a shock is delivered to the patient and then, after further prompts, Alice decides to continue chest compressions but change the person doing them.

This Virtual Reality scenario, using the Oxford Medical Simulation suite, is being used to test Alice’s cognitive decision making skills. It is part of what is now on offer for our colleagues to help them learn and develop in our new Centre for Education and Innovation at Plymouth Science Park.

And the beauty of this new Centre is that should Alice’s pretend patient need a cannula inserting,  there is ample space for students to step out of the Virtual Reality headset and practise physical skills such as cannulation to augment the virtual reality learning.

Watching Lead Resuscitation Officer Alice Biscoe and Deputy Head of Education Tim Murray demonstrate some of what is now on offer in the new Centre, it’s clear that this is the perfect place to learn. It’s quiet, uncluttered, there is lots of space to practise skills such as life support and manual handling and there are breakout rooms and rest spaces. And it’s literally a 5 minute walk or less for those people needing to take a vehicle, from the front door of Derriford Hospital. It’s an environment that really puts the Professional into Professional Healthcare Education.

This Centre will also be used for developing other non-clinical skills – over the coming months many of us will be going across for classroom-based teaching sessions on our new electronic patient record, Epic.

We live in times where theory, evidence and best practice are constantly evolving and I know in my own professional field that undertaking Continuous Professional Development is key to being able to operate effectively. Models and research about what works are changing all the time and it’s important to keep up to date. This is important for colleagues delivering care to patients or professional support services and the new Education and innovation Centre will support effective, lifelong learning and development.

Having a dedicated, fit for purpose education facility is a game changer for education in our Trust and also for healthcare professionals from further afield. Did you know that in Plymouth we run national advanced adult and paediatric life support courses and we run ‘train the trainer’ courses for colleagues around the country who want to become instructors themselves?

Many people – including Mark Hamilton, John Stephens and Sarah Dormer – have worked hard to bring this about and it’s worth acknowledging their efforts. I hope you get a chance to visit and enjoy using the new centre soon.

Amanda