SCReaM Human Factors and Team Resource Management

About the course

The course is aimed at raising the awareness, understanding, and application of Human Factors in healthcare, specifically focussed on Theatre staff (both clinical and non-clinical) in order to improve staff and patients’ safety and wellbeing. 

The courses are delivered by a faculty of accredited Crew Resource Management (CRM) instructors, experts from other high risk and performance industries, a chartered ergonomist, and healthcare workers with a background in HF.

Who should attend?

Healthcare workers, preferably from within Theatres.

Why should you attend?

Working in the NHS can be frustrating – software systems don’t always talk to each other, processes vary between departments, patients and their pathways aren’t always the same, and when things go wrong it’s easy to place blame. The courses emphasise the importance of putting staff first, and helps them gain an understanding of, and apply, HF in their daily lives in order to make it easier.

What will you learn?

In a complex environment like healthcare there’s usually a whole range of reasons why someone or something behaves as it does – investigating these issues structured around Human Factors thinking means we’re more likely to identify what actually happens and are then better positioned to design a better way of working for everyone.

Expected outcomes

You will be expected to:

• Have a solid understanding of human factors and its impact on individual performance, wellbeing and teamwork
• Develop an awareness and understanding of a wide range of tools and techniques aimed at mitigating the effects of the daily challenges staff face in an increasingly stretched UK healthcare system
• Improve confidence and practice of Non-Technical Skills
• Improve understanding of what a Safety Culture is
• Understand the capabilities and limitations of human performance and how the system can be designed to support this.

Course content

Topics covered in the course include, amongst others: Systems thinking, introduction to HF in Patient Safety; Non-Technical skills (including Stress & Fatigue; Threat & Error Management, Communication, Situational Awareness, Decision Making, Leadership and Teamwork); Models of Patient Safety & Safety Culture; Psychological Safety; Assertiveness & Civility; and Human Performance

Assessment

There is no formal assessment as part of the course, however, as part of their continued learning and to track the translation of learning into practice, participants are encouraged to undertake a ‘pledge’: Something that has resonated with them that they wish to try in their working lives.  These are small, simple and time-bound. Delegates are supported in creating and carrying out their pledge by faculty and are encouraged to share their successes and challenges with their course peers.

What’s included?

Each course is a full day, with lunch and breaks throughout the day. Courses are run either in the classroom or virtually, depending on the course chosen. Post course notes are distributed after the course. On completion of the pledge activity, you will be provided with your own personalised lanyard.

About SCReaM

In 2013, the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust in Guildford developed a Human Factors and Team Resource Management programme, SCReaM, to improve team performance, staff wellbeing, and patient safety. In 2015, we developed and implemented the first UK Emergency Theatre Prompt Cards to improve team performance during theatre emergencies. In October 2016 we then launched our training programme. We have since provided tailored training to other departments within our hospital and externally to other trusts. Alongside our training, we also support staff in carrying out HF interventions themselves as well as supporting larger scale transformation programmes within the Trust.

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