RGU upskilling NHS staff for COVID-19 frontline

Robert Gordon University (RGU) is working closely with NHS Grampian to deliver a rolling programme of training which will equip hundreds key NHS staff with critical skills to support the battle against COVID-19 in the North East.

The project will look at the upskilling of staff to be redeployed from their existing roles, which vary from dentistry to occupational health, into frontline work to increase the capacity of the NHS to cope with the pandemic.

Leading the collaboration from RGU is Strategic Lead for Collaborative Practice and registered nurse, Laura Chalmers, who has a background in critical care.

“This is a very important project which sees RGU supporting the NHS and the dedicated and talented staff who are there on the frontline, day in day out, delivering high quality effective care.

“The team at RGU in collaboration with colleagues from the NHS has very quickly delivered a bank of training resources, including multimedia and digital content, which can be used for a wide range of allied health professions, as well as nurses and doctors.

The training began at the beginning of April and will have turned round 180 upskilled staff by the middle of the month. Much of the teaching has been carried out in RGU’s Clinical Skills Centre, a purpose-built teaching and training facility which is designed to allow healthcare professionals to practice clinical skills in a safe but realistic environment.

Laura continued:

“We have already seen the first cohort of staff go through training and have quickly been redeployed both on the frontline and also in other supporting roles, which are equally as important as they free up some of the more experienced staff.

“This is a huge change for many of the staff we are upskilling, but we are seeing a willingness and positive attitude to get the job done and to care for patients.”