First project: mannequins
Well Foundation launches campaign for innovative training unit
The brand new Well Foundation is getting off to a “model” start with its first fundraising project for Waitemata DHB –
establishing New Zealand’s first teaching unit using lifelike mannequins to train medical staff in specialist procedures
and diagnostics.
The Well Foundation plans to raise $120,000 for the Ultrasound Procedural Training Unit, which aims to become a national
teaching facility for medical staff from a broad range of specialties.
The unit will use state--of--the--art surgical mannequins that have life like anatomy to train staff to perform medical
procedures using ultrasound scans.
The scans give an exact picture of the placement of surgical instruments or needles inside the body and are increasingly
being used in surgical procedures such as biopsies, anaesthesia, emergency care, chest drainage, catheter insertion, and
complex injections.
Learning to interpret the scans on the mannequins helps medical staff to complete procedures as accurately and quickly
as possible.
Well Foundation Chief Executive Andrew Young says the unit is exactly the kind of new and exciting project that the
foundation wants to support.
He says the Well Foundation was attracted to the project because it is innovative, will have fantastic training benefits
to the Waitemata DHB, and could provide potential revenue as a national first in attracting trainees from around the
country.
The unit will be housed in North Shore Hospital’s Awhina Department, which is responsible for teaching, research and
innovation at the Waitemata DHB.
Awhina Director Dr John Cullen says the unit aims to buy a range of mannequins that will allow medical staff to train to
perform a variety of procedures.
Dr Cullen says the unit will benefit staff in a number of departments across the DHB including anaesthesia, emergency
care, respiratory and renal medicine, endocrinology, and orthopaedic and general surgery.
ENDS
The Well Foundation has been formed to help WDHB deliver “best care for everyone”.
The foundation will prioritise projects around innovation, smart use of technology and new initiatives that enable
Waitemata DHB to be a leader in healthcare.