he April edition of the CSMEN newsletter features highlights from our recent conference attendance, a fresh update on the MSU's whereabouts, and an invitation to participate in research for our network members working in primary care. Also included, are exciting details of the return of a much-loved resource as well as upcoming courses and conferences for personal development!
National Workforce and Education Conference 2026
Conference overview
The two-day virtual event brought together professionals from across social care, health care, and public services to share research and practical approaches to transforming education, workforce development and service delivery in Scotland – fitting for our first month as part of Public Services Delivery Scotland! The conference also hosted the ‘Four Nations Conference - AI in educational assessment: Reforming, redesigning and reshaping’ within it.
Medical Simulation Presentation
The team was delighted to present on the ‘Implementation of a National Specialty-specific Simulation Training Programme for Medical Trainees’. Speakers Sally Alho (Medical Simulation Team Lead) and Andrea Baker (CSMEN Manager) outlined the origins of the training programme, charted the programme’s expansion through the years and highlighted the work CSMEN has done to support the delivery of simulation training across Scotland for multiple specialties.
Mobile Skills Unit (MSU) Poster Submission
Our MSU Project Officer, Lynn Hardie, also had her poster submission ‘Reaching Further, Training Smarter’ accepted for the conference! The poster showcased how the MSU was used to deliver impactful simulation training across the Shetland Islands, demonstrating how bringing education directly to remote communities can significantly improve access, collaboration and workforce capability.
March and April have been busy months for the Mobile Skills Unit (MSU), with activity ramping up across Scotland to deliver high‑impact, multidisciplinary training exactly where it’s needed.
Care Home Training: Golspie & Inverness
Working in partnership with the Care at Home North Highland team, the MSU delivered a comprehensive programme of care home–focused training across Golspie and Inverness.
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222 attendances, including AHPs, nurses, pharmacists, SAS and social care colleagues
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Practical, skills‑based sessions covering:
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Continence care and catheter management
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Falls prevention and tissue viability
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Medication administration and nutrition
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Aseptic technique, simple dressings, and RESTORE2 mini
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Donning and doffing
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Care around death
This strong multidisciplinary programme supported staff to refresh core clinical skills and enhance the quality and consistency of care for residents across settings.
Dumfries & Galloway: Multi‑agency Collaboration
The MSU spent two weeks at Galloway Community Hospital and Dumfries Royal Infirmary, delivering multi‑professional training in collaboration with key partners:
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Dumfries & Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership
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NHS 24
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Scottish Fire & Rescue Service
207 staff attended, benefitting from a diverse programme including:
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Multi‑casualty resuscitation team training
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Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP) skills
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Dementia: Caring for People with Dementia
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Neonatal airway management
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Fire safety
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Nith Inshore Rescue training (C‑spine immobilisation, airway management, BLS and first aid)
Lizanne Hamilton‑Smith, Lead Nurse – Advanced Practice Nursing and Care Directorate (NHS 24), said:
“A hybrid, interprofessional and equitable CPD approach supports recovery, growth and transformation by connecting Scotland’s workforce, nurturing capability, strengthening collaboration, and enabling sustainable, evidence‑based and psychologically safe learning.”
Island Support
In April, we were delighted the MSU returned to Tiree, supporting BASICS Scotland with pre‑hospital core skills days covering:
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Primary care emergencies
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Trauma
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Paediatrics
Supporting Mental Health Teams
The unit travelled on to Cameron Hospital (NHS Fife), supporting mental health teams with essential clinical skills training including:
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Venepuncture and peripheral venous cannulation
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Male, female and suprapubic catheterisation
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Vital signs and syringe/IV pump use
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Hypodermoclysis
To book the MSU for your region, check out the MSU availability.
Building Future Capacity
The MSU hosted another two‑day MSU Faculty Development Course at Forth Valley Royal Hospital, delivered by the Scottish Centre for Simulation and Clinical Human Factors. The course continues to build a strong pipeline of educators equipped to become future MSU hosts and trainers.
Resources
Guess who’s back?
We are pleased to announce that the intramuscular (IM) injections learning programme has been updated and is now live on Turas! The resource aims to provide standardised training for IM injections for nursing, medical and relevant allied healthcare professions and is structured into three learning modules:
Unit 1: Theory
The theory of IM injections.Unit 2: Preparation
Unit 3: Practical
Practical, standardised training on administering IM injections.
BASICS Scotland Update
The Irish Association for Simulation (IAS) is celebrating their 10 year anniversary at the Annual IAS Conference 2026, hosted at the Intersim Centre at Queen’s University Belfast.
Further conference details relevant to clinical skills and simulation are available on the CSMEN website.
Network
Enabling Collaborative Practice in Primary Care:
A National Review of How Primary Care Professionals Learn Together
Additionally, we would like to follow up with anyone who is interested in talking to us about any learning activities in primary care where a range of professionals are involved. At the end of the survey, there is the option to provide a contact email address if you are interested in taking part in an interview. The interview can be arranged to take place online via Teams and will last no more than 30 minutes.
This information will be used to determine what support, or resources would help to improve education and professional development of staff and to improve the integration of the range of health professionals working in primary care.
For further information contact:
Veronica O'Carroll vo1@st-andrews.ac.uk or Catherine Paton Catherine.Paton2@nhs.scot
SCSCHF Update
Please refer to the SCSCHF website for all course dates.