Clinicians from the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, part of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), have hosted a ‘premiere’ to launch a series of short educational films on tracheostomy safety and care.
The National Tracheostomy Safety Project (NTSP) are launching 25 educational videos, filmed with RMCH patients and staff, to support paediatric tracheostomy safety work here in Manchester and across the UK.
The films were made by digital agency Feedfirst, following a successful grant application to the Health Foundation and feature routine care, emergency care (in hospital and at home) as well as communication and swallowing. Filmed with four RMCH patients in October 2018, the two minute films are aimed at healthcare professionals as well as parents and carers, produced as mobile-friendly, bite-sized clips.
The premiere was live-streamed, linking up with colleagues at children’s hospitals in Dublin, Boston, USA, and Melbourne, Australia, demonstrating the global reach of these new resources.
Dr Catherine Doherty, Consultant Paediatric Anaesthetist at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and paediatric lead for the NTSP, said; “MFT is the home of the National Tracheostomy Safety Project and our team have been working on improving the quality and safety of care for some of our most vulnerable patients for more than 6 years now.
“We are so proud to be leading the way in tracheostomy care and we are hopeful that these films will become a valuable resource for healthcare professionals, parents and carers, to help improve paediatric tracheostomy care not just across the UK, but internationally too.
“It was fantastic to view them on the big screen and a lovely opportunity to thank the families and staff who took the time to help us create these films.”
Tracheostomies are plastic tubes inserted into the front of the neck, required in around 20,000 UK patients annually to help with breathing. About one third are to help with airway problems and two thirds to help with medium to long-term ventilatory support. About 1,200 UK children require a new tracheostomy per year.
Specialist tracheostomy nurses from RMCH demonstrated the care procedures in the films and show real techniques in real time in wards. Parents and carers also demonstrated care at home and in the community.
Dr Brendan McGrath, ICU consultant at MFT, and National Clinical Advisor for Tracheostomy at NHS England, added; “Part of our work involves developing and disseminating educational resources for patients, their families and for staff caring for them. We were delighted to develop and film the set of educational videos for paediatric tracheostomy patients at RMCH. This is a great reflection of the work we have done here to improve patient safety and to the great multidisciplinary team we have established for airway and tracheostomy care.
“This is a comprehensive set of 25 short videos and we plan to continue our innovative approaches to deliver these to the smartphones of front line staff, parents and carers.”
The project follows the successful implementation of films made with adult tracheostomy patients, viewed by more than one million people worldwide.
MFT was the first hospital in Europe to join the Global Tracheostomy Collaborative – a group of leading hospitals that has come together to share resources and know-how to improve care around the world. Their work at MFT remains pivotal in improving the quality and safety of care for these patients.
The training videos can be viewed here: www.tracheostomy.org.uk