Published 11/03/2026

Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) has collaborated with North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust, who first developed the Virtual Reality (VR) Delirium Training Resource, to create a fully Welsh‑language version that expands access to this impactful, immersive training across the health and care workforce in Wales.

Originally developed to support non‑specialist staff caring for people with dementia or delirium, the four‑minute VR experience places learners directly in the perspective of a patient. Viewers see what she sees, hear her thoughts, and experience how missed essential needs such as glasses or hearing aids can heighten confusion and distress.

The resource has already achieved more than 140,000 YouTube views and has been adapted internationally due to its impact on improving understanding and compassionate care.

Launching on World Delirium Awareness Day, the new Welsh‑language edition ensures this innovative tool is accessible to staff who prefer to learn in Welsh and strengthens HEIW’s commitment to meeting Welsh Language Standards. The resource can be used via a standard web browser or within VR headsets such as Meta Quest for deeper immersion. The experience is optimised for VR headsets, but it can also be viewed on YouTube for wider accessibility, though the visuals may appear slightly distorted.

HEIW’s Pharmacy learning resource developers and Welsh language teams worked collaboratively to adapt scripts, narration and platform content, ensuring accuracy, cultural relevance and alignment with Welsh Language Standards. This partnership marks the first time the resource has been created to serve Wales’ bilingual workforce.  This work supports HEIW’s broader role in strengthening the capability, confidence and future‑readiness of the health and care workforce in Wales.

“The tool gives staff a clearer sense of how disorientating and unsettling delirium can feel, including the impact of unfamiliar communication or environments. It offers valuable insight to support more compassionate, person‑centred care.”
Geraint Jones, Learning Resource Developer (Innovation and Technology), HEIW

“By leading on the Welsh‑language translation of this resource, we’ve helped ensure the learning is actively offered to staff in both languages. For many patients, particularly those who may feel vulnerable or confused, being able to communicate in their first language is essential, not optional. Strengthening access to Welsh‑medium learning supports a confident bilingual workforce and improves the experiences of the people we care for.”
Nia Cole Jones, Head of More Than Just Words Strategy and Welsh Unit, HEIW

“This resource has also been showcased in the House of Commons, where North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust presented its Virtual Reality delirium training to the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee. We’re delighted to see it adapted for Welsh‑speaking learners and to be working in partnership with HEIW. The VR experience has had a profound impact on how staff understand and respond to delirium, and partnering with HEIW to make it available in another language is an important step in widening access and improving patient care internationally.”

Joe McCrea, Associate Director of Communications, North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust

To view the Welsh-language VR Delirium Education Resource, visit:

https://youtu.be/cNkjSleS3Vs

https://youtu.be/Xr0Cb9xPp0Q

 Or contact HEIW.Pharmacy@wales.nhs.uk.