About our centres

The Clinical Skills and Simulation Centre (CSSC) and Simulation, Training and Resource (STaR) Centre offer safe learning environments to clinical staff and students interested in cardiac and respiratory medicine. 

Clinical Skills and Simulation Centre (CSSC) 

The CSSC is a specialist medical education and training centre at Royal Brompton Hospital.

The state-of-the-art facility is a collaboration between Royal Brompton Hospital and The Royal Marsden Hospital to focus on clinical skills training for staff and other healthcare professionals.

Clinical teams receive training in complex procedures and crisis management in the simulation suite and learn new surgical techniques in the wet lab.

The seminar rooms are also available to book for classroom teaching.

The centre provides medical simulation training where specialist training equipment is used to recreate clinical situations.

The CSSC allows medical trainees in many specialities to practice rare and critical scenarios in a safe environment. The centre also allows for procedural skills training such as chest drain and central line insertion.

The trainees learn, practise and repeat procedures, improve their skills, fine-tune techniques, and master clinical protocols designed to improve outcomes before seeing patients.

Floorplan of the CSSC:

 

Simulation, Training and Resource (STaR) Centre 

The STaR Centre at Harefield Hospital is a safe learning environment for students from all clinical disciplines with an interest in cardiothoracic medicine and surgery.

Training with the Trust's cardiovascular clinicians, students can develop professional capabilities, such as:

  • the management of medical emergencies
  • skill in invasive procedures and surgery
  • effective communication and team work.

Training environment

The centre provides a training environment which replicates scenarios in:

  • acute medical situations
  • anaesthetic procedures
  • cardiac and thoracic surgery. 

The environment includes the SimMan 3G, a dummy patient with highly advanced functionality. It allows carers to be put through realistic patient care scenarios, such as heart failure and anaphylaxis. 

International reputation

Students from around the world can train at the facility, which has an international reputation for excellence.

The centre has the advantage of having access to the Trust’s:  

  • pioneering work in the development of artificial hearts
  • dedicated heart attack centre at Harefield Hospital
  • transplant surgeons.

Floorplan of the STaR Centre: