A NEW facility for training midwives has opened at Whipps Cross Hospital.

The Real Time Labour Room, believed to be one of the first facilities of its kind, was officially opened by the Mayor of Waltham Forest, Anna Mbachu.

The room features a model of a baby and a lecturer playing the “mother”.

As London South Bank University (LSBU) students sit in classes in one room, alarm bells can sound at any moment.

Students then have to rush to the labour room and cope with emergency scenarios.

Emergencies simulated include haemorrhages, fits and other problems experienced during labour.

LSBU says the facility allows students to learn how to use, check and test equipment while being monitored by a member of the midwifery lecturing team.

Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, head of midwifery education at LSBU said: “This unique and innovative way of learning is designed to reflect the clinical environment within a university setting.

“Emergencies are very often unpredictable and students will be given the opportunity within a safe learning environment to develop skills that enable them to move from one activity to an emergency situation with skill, speed and confidence, preparing them for real life events.”

The facility has been funded by LSBU, which has its faculty of health and social care based at the Leytonstone hospital.

For more information about LSBU midwifery courses at Whipps, visit www.lsbu.ac.uk or email course.enquiry@lsbu.ac.uk

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