The NHS is currently navigating a staffing crisis, over 112,000 secondary care vacancies as of June 2024 and according to research, seven in ten patient-facing NHS workers say staff shortages often impact patient care. As vacancies continue to increase, healthcare institutions are under immense pressure to deliver specialised education at scale, particularly in fields requiring hands-on training.
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan was delivered in 2023 and is the first comprehensive workforce plan for the NHS, putting staffing on a sustainable footing and in turn, improving patient care. The plan emphasises the need for increased training and upskilling to fill workforce gaps, retaining the right culture and improving retention rates and reforming the way that work and training is delivered, by enabling innovative ways of working.
According to the plan, without immediate action, the NHS will face a workforce gap of more than 260,000 – 360,000 by 2036/37.
Addressing the Skills Shortage
One key part of the plan is increased training and upskilling which is vital if we are to truly move the NHS forward. Traditional training models, particularly in clinical environments like operating theatres, have struggled to meet growing demand for education due to limitations around space, safety and logistics. These physical constraints have long limited the number of students able to engage in crucial hands-on learning – which is key if we are to increase the number of professionals working in the sector in medical positions.
North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust has taken an innovative step to address this challenge by incorporating augmented reality (AR) technology into its healthcare training programmes, allowing students in disciplines such as radiography, physiotherapy, and paramedicine to experience learning in a more immersive and scalable way.
Worn by surgeons, the lightweight wearable headset technology has an adjustable point-of-view camera, video stabilisation and precision zoom features which enable the students to see procedures vividly from the same perspective as the surgeon. Students can then observe and asks questions as they ‘see’ through the surgeon’s eyes.
By introducing RealWear AR technology, the Trust, which serves approximately 400,000 people in Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees, and parts of County Durham, has created a solution that allows healthcare students to observe real-time surgical procedures without these limitations, expanding the reach of medical education while maintaining quality and safety.
Prior to using the technology, only a limited number of students could observe surgeries in person. Even when present, many students faced restricted visibility, hampering their ability to fully engage with and learn from the procedure. AR technology addresses this issue by allowing a much larger number of students to observe surgeries remotely, from the surgeon’s perspective and in real-time.
Revolutionising Healthcare Education with AR
This expanded access to real-time learning has allowed the Trust to offer training opportunities to a far wider pool of students from multiple disciplines, such as paramedics, radiographers, and physiotherapists. The scale of learning has increased substantially, enabling more students to gain valuable surgical experience in a single day than could typically be accommodated in a traditional training model over an entire year.
By implementing AR training methods, the Trust has also been able to increase its reach, welcoming healthcare students from 11 different disciplines across six universities. This broad access provides invaluable training opportunities for students from a range of healthcare fields, allowing them to engage with and learn from real-life scenarios in a way that was previously unattainable in such numbers.
Expanding Learning Opportunities
The success of this AR healthcare initiative has not only increased training capacity but has also attracted growing interest from students and institutions across the NHS. The ability to engage with live surgeries in an immersive and interactive manner has shown that AR technology can effectively bridge the gap between the traditional limitations of medical education and the need for broader access.
Additionally, this technology has expanded beyond surgical training. Paramedics, for example, have used it to connect with specialists in emergency departments, visually sharing real-time updates on a patient’s condition before arriving at the hospital. This cross-discipline collaboration improves communication, enhances patient care, and provides healthcare professionals with a more complete picture of the patient journey.
The Future of AR-Driven Healthcare Training
The use of AR technology at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust represents a significant step forward in how education in healthcare can be delivered. Looking to the future, the Trust plans to expand AR integration even further, with the aim of covering the entire patient journey, from outpatient consultations to post-operative recovery. By offering students a comprehensive view of the healthcare process, this approach has the potential to inspire more individuals to pursue careers in specialised medical fields, helping to address the broader workforce shortages facing the NHS.
At a time when the healthcare sector is under immense strain, AR technology offers a promising solution for transforming medical education. By removing the physical limitations of traditional training and enabling more immersive, real-time learning, new standards can be set for how the next generation of healthcare professionals can be trained, empowered, and prepared for the demands of the future.
By Dr. Chris Parkinson, CEO and co-founder, RealWear