Simulated Training at WA's Fiona Stanley Hospital

By Petrina Smith
Wednesday, 18 June, 2014

The $2billion Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH) was brought to life for a few hours during a simulated helicopter crash on the hospital’s helipad.
Health Minister Kim Hames said it was important for the FSH team to test their emergency response plans to ensure that the hospital could respond effectively should an emergency incident occur.

“FSH is undertaking an extensive program of simulated scenarios to test the integration of services, flow of patients and key interfaces between clinicians, services, equipment, IT and the physical environment,” Dr Hames said.

“These are all carried out within the simulated environment of highly pressured clinical situations to ensure the hospital can deliver outstanding patient care, no matter what the situation.”

The simulation saw internal and external services work together to test communications and co-operation between agencies during an extreme emergency scenario. More than 50 people, including doctors, nurses, firefighters, emergency specialists and test observers took part in the exercise with the shared aim of ensuring that all the mock casualties received emergency care while services at the hospital were maintained.

“Testing the emergency response plans are all part of the extensive program of activities happening at FSH as it prepares to open progressively from October this year,” the Minister said.

Some of the other scenarios tested as part of the program include a Medical Emergency Team (MET) call from the hydrotherapy pool in the State rehabilitation service facility; an after-hours presentation of a woman in advanced labour; a situation involving an aggressive threat; and a transfer of a critically unwell patient.

“Throughout this process the quality of clinical services and patient safety is paramount,” Dr Hames said.