Naomi Brennan, 12 December 2025
The Becoming Simulation Faculty programme expanded capability and capacity to design, deliver and evaluate simulation and immersive learning at a national scale.
- Programme enrolments rose by 40%, core course eLearning completions increased by over 135% and attendees at regional workshops increased by 270%
- Four advanced eLearning topic launched: Simulation Technicians, Evaluation in Simulation-based Education, Extended Reality (XR) and Simulated Participants. A final topic on Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) will launch early 2026.
- The programme achieved Continuing Professional Development (CPD) accreditation and the core course eLearning programme reached international audiences via e-Integrity.
Our existing national immersive learning programmes were revised in response to educator and student feedback, supported awareness raising sessions, and new programmes were launched.
- Facilitation resources were added to Pharmacy ‘A Day in the Life’ and Enhanced Health in Care Homes to encourage group learning and discussion, and videos developed to use the programmes in immersive rooms.
- Nursing in Adult Prison Healthcare Settings supported the RCN ‘Prison Nursing Unlocked’ exhibition and was demonstrated at the exhibition’s launch and to support The History of Art in Prisons event.
- Return to Practice for Nursing, Nursing Associates and Midwifery programme broke new ground as the first approved blended learning course for nurses returning to practice after career breaks. It was approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council and recognised it as “true partnership working.”
- To coincide with Allied Health Professional (AHP) day the new Operation Department Practitioner 360-degree video was added to the AHP – Virtual Reality Insight Videos catalogue on Learning Hub.
Our communities of practice continued to flourish, providing both inspiration and support; Virtual Reality in Education (VRE) rebranded as Extended Reality in Education (XRE) to reflect changes in the XR landscape and community needs and Digital Innovation in Health and Care Education (DIHCE) successfully relaunched with a focus on current health education trends, innovation and the future-facing technologies.
We worked with the wider TEL team to promote our national educator resources to regional nursing colleagues and universities through a series of webinars which received positive comments from attendees including and “this has been revelatory”, and continued to provide evidence to support the impact and opportunities of immersive learning with over 40 case studies across a range of immersive technologies and care settings.
We collaborated with the NHS England Accessibility team on our updated accessibility guide which provides support when creating or commissioning virtual reality 360-degree video and our paper with the University of Leeds on Extended Reality–Enhanced Mental Health Consultation Training: Quantitative Evaluation Study was published.
Interest in the Immersive, Simulation and Related Technologies Dynamic Purchasing System continued to grow and we now have over 40 approved suppliers to support health and care education
Finally, we worked with stakeholders across the UK, the Republic of Ireland and Association of Simulated Practice in Healthcare (ASPIH) to develop the Professional Development Framework for Interprofessional Simulation in Health and Care. The framework provides a structure to build confidence and expertise in simulation and is designed to align with national priorities, including NHS England’s 10 Year Health Plan.
To find out more about our programme and support we can offer, email: simimmtech@nhs.net
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