Charitable funds buy training aids for Hywel Dda midwifery staff

Above: Midwife and PROMPT facilitator Rochelle Radcliffe (left) is seen delivering training with the new mannikins to Midwives Vicki Dawson John and Rhian Byrne at Amman Valley Hospital. In the background is Midwife Jane Storey who works for PROMPT Wales

Thanks to donations from local communities, Hywel Dda Health Charities has been able to purchase two new training mannikins for use by childbirth and midwifery staff across the three counties of Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

The baby and birthing simulator mannikins, which together cost more than £5,000, are taken around hospitals in the Hywel Dda University Health Board area for training days.

Practice Development Midwife Nicola Rees said: “Doctors, Anaesthetists, Midwives, Neo-natal Nurses, Theatre Practitioners and Health Care Support Workers attend regular training, including a day of PROMPT (Practice Obstetric Multi-Professional Training). This scenario-based learning needs specific props.

“These new anatomically-correct models are so beneficial for training because they replicate real-life situations. This helps to give the best outcomes for mums and babies.”

Midwife and PROMPT facilitator Rochelle Radcliffe (left) is seen delivering training with the new mannikins to Midwives Vicki Dawson John and Rhian Byrne at Amman Valley Hospital. In the background is Midwife Jane Storey who works for PROMPT Wales.

Nicola Llewelyn, Head of Hywel Dda Health Charities, the official charity of Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “The support of our local communities enables us to provide services over and above what the NHS can provide in the three counties of Hywel Dda and we are extremely grateful for every donation we receive.”