We staged our first TaRTs  (Trauma and Resuscitation Team) day which was a huge success thanks to some amazing medical make-up!

Nurses from our Emergency Teams attended the sessions in the SIM-ulation suite at HRI to test their responses to patients from three different scenarios.

* a 32-year-old road traffic victim

* a pregnant woman who leapt to safety from a blazing flat caused by a chip pan fire

* an 86-year-old who had fallen downstairs at home.

The nurses had to assess the patients  and care for them as they if they presented in one our EDs. They were observed from the  adjoining control room on how they communicated and interacted with the "patients" - Caren Reid and Angela Hope - to give them experience of what it might be like in a real-life situation. Therre were also theory sessions linked to the scenarios and there was also pain  assessment.

Our Emergency Nurse Consultant, Janet Youd, said:  " This is hugely exciting and immensely valuable. Investing in this kind of training is essential to be able to provide the best care for our patients, and also provide development opportunities for staff.

"The TaRTS course (Trauma and Resuscitation Team Skills) was developed in Airedale to enable the achievement of the level one National Major Trauma Nursing Group Competencies. 

"This was the first time we have run the course at CHFT, which comprises some lectures, as well as practical skill stations and simulated trauma-based patient scenarios.  Some great learning and much fun was achieved.  Several more are planned for the rest of the year. "

Caren Reid has mastered medical make-up called "moulage".  At a recent event at Hull  Hospital she won first prize for her skills. See  attached below. (It's  very gruesome so be warned!)  All participants were asked to select a part of the body to transform and her "before" and "after" photos of her  facial acid attack can be seen below. 

On our day, Angela's makeup was so real that as she was walking from  the observation room down the corridor to the Sim Suite  a doctor saw her and ran over to ask her what had happened and could he help!

Caren created all the effects after training at Rotherham Hospital which works closely with university media makeup students.  To create a "broken ankle" she brought in a spare rib from home and attached it to make the bone appear to be sticking out!