Staff at Kingston Hospital's Neonatal Unit will benefit from practising life-saving resuscitation and intubation techniques for very sick newborn babies on a robotic newborn simulation mannequin and two preterm 24-week mannequins.  

 Kingston Hospital will be one of the first hospitals in South-West London to offer such high-tech simulation training to its staff.   

 The state-of-the art simulation mannequin which moves, sounds, and responds just like a human baby, can be programmed and connected to a ventilator and monitor, so staff can gain hands-on experience of the most complex of neo-natal emergencies, including carrying out full newborn life-support.  

The state-of-the art simulation mannequin which moves, sounds, and responds just like a human baby, can be programmed and connected to a ventilator and monitor, so staff can gain hands-on experience of the most complex of neo-natal emergencies, including carrying out full newborn life-support (Kingston Hosptal)

The mannequins have been funded by a £58,000 grant from Born too Soon, which is part of Kingston Hospital Charity.    

 Regular simulation training at the Neonatal Unit will support staff to feel more prepared when a very sick infant is brought to the unit unexpectedly.  

 Practice Development Sister Donna Browne said: "We are so grateful to Born too Soon and Kingston Hospital Charity for funding these amazing mannequins.  

"We can now offer realistic simulation training to ensure all our staff are up to date and practised with conditions they've either never seen before or not seen for some time. 

 "The mannequin grunts, cries and responds just like a human baby, so we can practice both clinical and developmental care. 

"It is also anatomically correct, which helps when practicing challenging procedures such as inserting an intubation tube or cannulation on a preterm baby."

 The two preterm 24-week mannequins will also help to stimulate conversations about taking observations for babies with different skin colours, helping to address inequalities in health care for Black and Asian mothers and babies. 

 Simulation training is supported by the Saving Babies Lives initiative, the Maternity Incentive Scheme (MIS) and is recommended by the British Association of Perinatal Medicine (BAPM) to support skills and expertise in local neonatal units.