Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust - Freeman Hospital and Royal Victoria Infirmary Simulation Centres

Requirements

The trust put out to tender their requirement to upgrade and improve the recording facilities for the simulation centres at The Freeman Hospital and The Royal Victoria Infirmary.

The main requirements of the project included:

• Provide recording facilities in the 2 simulation rooms at the RVI and the 1 simulation room at the Freeman
• Implement an easy to use system to allow the recording of different areas simultaneously from the corresponding control rooms
• Provide the ability to capture, stream and record a vital signs feed generated from a variety of manikin simulators
• Have the ability to de-brief trainees with video playback, or observe live a simulation, from both the control room and each of the 3 seminar rooms across the 2 hospitals
• Have the ability to provide a multicast stream across the sites so viewers have the option to view the simulations from out with the main sim centres
• Provide a portable solution that is easily transportable and can be moved across both hospitals and allow live streaming and recording

The Solution

After a successful tender process we were enlisted to work with the university estates and IT departments, to specify power and IT requirements. The main requirements were discussed, refined and solutions were put in place.

• Freeman Hospital - 3 x Full HD PTZ cameras were installed, one of which is installed on a trolley for mobility, to cover a variety of views and angles of the main simulation room. Input and interfaces provided to allow the capture of the vital signs from a manikin in the room. The projector in the seminar room was upgraded to a new higher brightness and more eco-friendly Casio laser projector, to improve the de-briefing and live viewing process
• Royal Victoria Infirmary - Each of the 2 main simulation rooms features 3 x Full HD PTZ cameras (1 moveable on a trolley) to cover a variety of views and angles of the rooms. Input and interfaces were provided in both simulation rooms to allow the capture of the vital signs from a manikin simulator. A new Casio laser projector and electric drop down projection screen were installed into the main seminar room to aid with de-briefs and live viewing
• Portable cSkills - A single case portable system was provided for insitu recording, allowing users to do simulation in various other areas of the hospital including maternity and theatres. Small footprint AXIS HD fixed angle cameras are used with their in-built microphones to capture the video and audio. Furthermore an additional audio interface was provided for larger scale in-situ requirements allowing the use of lapel and directional gooseneck microphones for improved audio pick up
• Multicast Streaming - A UDP multicast streaming solution was provided so that the simulation room at the Freeman, the 2 rooms at the RVI, and the portable system when connected can be streamed around both of the hospitals and viewed live using VLC media player from a NHS trust desktop PC. This gives the users more flexibility in where they conduct and view live simulations and can take advantage of different meeting rooms, lecture theatres, out with the dedicated seminar rooms in the simulation centres
• Control Room - There is a single control room at the Freeman, and 2 at the RVI each relating to the corresponding simulation room. Each features a cSkills control laptop and 32” desktop preview display where an operator can observe, invoke recordings and operate the cameras throughout the suite. A talkback microphone allows communication to the simulation room via a speaker in that room. A Vokkero Guardian in-ear and microphone comms system allows facilitators to communicate privately between the control rooms and the simulation rooms

Summary

The system in place now provides a flexible and easy way to record, view live, and playback to aid in simulation and training throughout the simulation centres at both of the hospitals. With each simulation room having a dedicated control room and seminar room, and the inclusion of a portable system and multicast streaming solution, the centre has the flexibility to cater for multiple simulation groups and scenarios simultaneously.