Mobile Skills Unit Update
MSU on the move: skills, simulation and collaboration across Scotland
It’s been another action-packed few months for the PSD Scotland Mobile Skills Unit (MSU)! From island communities to emergency services, the MSU has been taking practical, high-quality training to teams across Scotland.
The annual Western Isles tour was a particular highlight, beginning with two weeks in Barra. Alongside BLS/PBLS, eILS and ePILS training for local staff at St Brendan's Hospital, the MSU supported an Emergency Medical Retrieval Service (EMRS) Liaison visit and an exciting multi-agency Major Incident Exercise (see full article for more details). The MSU then travelled to Benbecula, where medical and nursing staff from Uist and Barra Hospital took part in an intensive week of learning which included an EMRS Liaison visit, simulation scenarios, practical plastering and suturing skills.
Back on the mainland, the MSU visited Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline, where mental health teams developed vital practical clinical skills including; venepuncture, cannulation and male and female catheterisation, suprapubic catheterisation, syringe pumps and IV pumps.
At the Golden Jubilee, Advanced Nurse Practitioners were put through their paces with a series of deteriorating patient scenarios, providing an opportunity to practise decision-making and teamwork in a realistic but safe environment.
“I will use the skills from this training to assess patients more systematically, recognise early signs of deterioration, and escalate concerns promptly to ensure safer patient care”
We are delighted the MSU returned to Newton Stewart to support the Scottish Ambulance Service. Training ranged from paediatric and adult deteriorating patient scenarios to advanced life support and newborn resuscitation. Collaboration extended beyond the ambulance service, with Mountain Rescue Teams, Fire Service and Lifeboat crews joining training involving deteriorating patients and BLS refreshers. The programme also reached into the local community, with school sessions introducing BLS and the approach to an unwell patient.
“Having the opportunity to treat the sim baby in different scenarios and debrief after has helped me think about my own skill level and ensuring basics are covered A-E.”
“The MSU provides invaluable experience.”
It was a fantastic example of how the MSU can bring different services and communities together around practical, locally delivered learning.
Thinking of booking the MSU for your region? Check the MSU’s calendar for available dates then complete a booking enquiry form and the MSU senior officer will get back in touch with you. For any MSU related queries, check our frequently asked questions page or email nes.msu@nhs.scot
Barra and Vatersay Multi Agency Major Incident Exercise – Operation Compton
The annual visit of PSD Scotland’s Mobile Skills Unit (MSU) continues to play a vital role in supporting education, skills development and multi-agency working in remote and rural communities. During this year’s visit to Barra, healthcare professionals and emergency responders came together for Operation Compton, a large-scale major incident exercise designed to test clinical skills, strengthen inter-agency collaboration and build confidence in responding to emergencies in a challenging island environment.
Building on the success of last year's exercise, Operation Compton provided participants with the opportunity to learn, practice and apply key emergency response skills through realistic simulation, highlighting the value of the MSU in bringing high-quality training directly to remote communities.
The full article about the Multi Agency Major Incident Exercise can be found on our website.
Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE) Network Event
The Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE) Network event held on 18 September 2026 at Bothwell Street, Glasgow, brought together health and social care professionals from across Scotland to share learning, exchange experiences, and explore practical approaches to applying Human Factors and Ergonomics in support of safer care. The event attracted 95 registered participants, demonstrating continued interest in the growing HFE community and its contribution to improving safety and quality across services.
The programme featured presentations from:
Paul Bowie, who provided an update on HFE developments within PSD Scotland and explored the importance of avoiding agentive, pejorative and blame-laden language when discussing safety incidents and learning;
Helen Vosper, who examined the relationship between safety and quality, and shared learning from Safety Learning Reviews, including the use of the In Situ System Observation Guide to support data collection and systems-based analysis;
Tom McEwan, who presented insights from the application of the Learning Response, Review and Improvement Tool within maternity safety, demonstrating how structured approaches can support learning and improvement.
Participants also engaged in interactive group activities exploring Systems Thinking, principles underpinning Safety Learning Reviews, and approaches to understanding and assessing safety maturity within their own organisations. These discussions provided valuable opportunities for networking, reflection and knowledge exchange, helping attendees consider how Human Factors principles can be embedded within local improvement, safety and learning systems. The event further strengthened connections across the HFE community and supported the shared ambition of creating safer, more resilient health and social care systems.
Feedback from participants highlighted the value of hearing practical examples from across Scotland and the opportunity to network with colleagues working to promote Human Factors and safety improvement within their own organisations.
National Simulation Faculty Development Group Update
In early 2026 the Clinical Skills Managed Educational Network created a national multi-disciplinary working group for faculty development for simulation-based educators. The aim of this group is to enhance quality assurance and improve availability and support to train new simulation-based educators. The first step in this process was to distribute a questionnaire to key personnel in simulation across Scotland to capture the current national landscape for simulation faculty development.
Thank you to everyone who responded to this survey. Please see below a summary report of the survey findings.
If you would like to participate in discussions around faculty development quality assurance, please register you interest by emailing csmen@nes.scot.nhs.uk
Learning Opportunities
NHS Fellowship in Clinical AI
Healthcare professionals across Scotland are being encouraged to apply for the NHS Fellowship in Clinical AI, a nationally recognised work-based learning programme designed to build clinical AI capability and leadership across the healthcare workforce.
The application window closes on 16 October. For more details about the programme and information on how to apply please visit the PSD Scotland Website
Translational Simulation across Scotland
Translational simulation is "healthcare simulation focused directly on improving patient care and healthcare systems, through diagnosing safety and performance issues and delivering simulation-based intervention, irrespective of the location, modality or content of the simulation" as defined by Dr Victoria Brazil.
Explore how it is being implemented by different organisations and health boards across Scotland and its impact on the CSMEN Website.
Share your translational simulation work:
If you are undertaking translational simulation work across Scotland and are interested in raising awareness, sharing its impact, or fostering collaboration, we invite you to submit content for inclusion in our next newsletter.
Please email CSMEN@nes.scot.nhs.uk including a paragraph about the work, as well as the location it’s taking place and who to get in touch with for more information (pictures are also highly encouraged).
Conferences
Conference details relevant to clinical skills and simulation are available on the CSMEN website.
BASICS Scotland Update
Please refer to the BASICS Scotland website for all course dates.
SCSCHF Update
Please refer to the SCSCHF website for all course dates.
DIHS Update
Please refer to DIHS website for all course dates.
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