HEIW simulation conference 'Building bridges in simulation practice: Collaborative working and learning across Wales'

The annual HEIW simulation conference ‘Building bridges in simulation practice: Collaborative working and learning across Wales’ held online on Monday 30 June 2025 focussed on collaboration across healthcare in Wales

This year’s conference focussed on collaboration across healthcare in Wales and aimed to strengthen professional practice as well as support the delivery of safer, more effective care for patients. The event attracted a multi-professional audience from Health Boards and Trusts, Universities, industry and other organisations from Wales and beyond.

An exciting programme featured international, well renowned keynote speakers as well as presentations about numerous innovative and impressive simulation projects being delivered across Wales.

Professor Sharon Weldon and Professor Doris Østergaard stimulated much discussion and invited the audience to think about the future of simulation.

Professor Weldon inspired the audience with her talk on collaboration through simulation and how transformative simulation can be used to reinforce the critical importance of simulation. She highlighted the unique opportunities in Wales to build on collaborative working and use transformational simulation to enhance the quality of patient care and develop new and innovative models of care.

Professor Østergaard’s talk highlighted the many opportunities for collaboration. She proposed the need for greater coherence between quality, patient safety and education and introduced the concept of learning for life – learning together with colleagues and teams. 

Excellent oral and poster presentations were delivered showcasing collaborative and interprofessional simulation projects across organisations in Wales. The conference provided a platform for networking and the sharing of information, best practice and resources. It fostered new collaborative and interprofessional relationships to support effective team and cross-organisational working.  

In her closing remarks Dr Sara-Catrin Cook, Associate Dean for Simulation and Clinical Skills (and Project lead) praised the collaborative approaches between the Universities and Health Boards and Trusts in Wales. Sara encouraged the audience to consider what data is available to demonstrate the impact of healthcare simulation, emphasising the need to measure not only the impact on learner confidence, knowledge, skills and behaviours but also the impact of simulation on patients and service user outcomes, safety and experiences.

Feedback from attendees highlighted the motivational impact of the event, with many reporting they felt inspired, and full of new and innovative ideas to implement into their own practice.

We thank everyone who attended the conference and made it such as great event.