Page 10 - QARANC Vol 16 No 1 2018

8 QARANC THE GAZETTE
Short-term Training Team in Sierra Leone
In November 2016 I was privileged to deploy as part of the second short-term training team (STTT) to aid in the ongoing development and education of healthcare professionals in Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and the epidemiology of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). Since 2014 the UK Armed Forces have been training the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (SRLAF), Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) and the Joint Medical Unit (JMU) to use a Rapidly Deployable Isolation Treatment Facility (RDITF), should another outbreak occur.
Pre-deployment training (PDT) took place in January 2017 and included a brief from the previous STTT Officer Commanding and medical officer, sharing experiences from which we could learn for our forthcoming deployment.
Whilst the G4 element directed RSLAF Engineers in the erection of the facility, the clinicians within the team planned lessons covering all training aspects and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). The reception received was positive with some constructive feedback along the way.
On the fourth day, the exercise within the facility began, with a formation of shifts broken down into three, consisting of a shift supervisor, nursing staff, hygienists, a laboratory technician (phlebotomist in UK terms) and morticians, overseen by a RSLAF OC. They responded to a range of serials initiated by the enabling staff (ES) and support was given where required. RSLAF provided 15 soldiers to take part in a casualty simulation role to ensure all potential scenarios were covered. Realism was maintained by including all symptoms of Ebola and malaria, using special effects make-up similar to that used by the Armed Forces in the UK, much to the enjoyment of the participants. Some of the scenarios used were specifically designed to test their adaptability to adverse situations such as distraught family members, delirious patients, unwell staff and breaches of personal protective equipment (PPE). Personnel responded positively to
the stressful environment that a RDITF can become.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) officials visited the facility on the third day of the exercise in order to validate the capability of the RDITF. The result of this validation was 100%. A second visit occurred the following day which included the RSLAF hierarchy and the head of the International Security Advisory Team (ISAT). They were directed around the facility by the STTT OC, Maj Darrelle Marston, and were able to witness a patient journey and their treatment from staff. The visitors were deeply impressed by the standard of RSLAF management, PPE and care given.
This visit marked the final day of the exercise phase of the deployment; decommissioning of the facility followed in order to maintain the equipment and preserve the facility for future training and potential deployments. This enabled the G4 element and clinicians to work together in clearing and deconstructing the equipment from the facility before the collapse could take place. A ceremony took place that afternoon, awarding all members of the team a certificate for their efforts and participation.
As a whole, the team had a great experience and have all expressed an interest to deploy as part of this STTT again. At least half of the team have had no experience of STTTs and it gave a massive insight into how well it works when deployed with an experienced, approachable and hard-working OC. A small number of the team had never deployed before and are relatively newly qualified nurses. They found this experience to be paramount to their military development with regard to both nursing and mentoring.
Sgt Lisa Watson and Cpl Kerry Mundell
DHE student
During August 2017, five other military student nurses and I (Pte Murphy) were fortunate enough to spend a three week nursing elective placement at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH), Lusaka, Zambia.
After months of training in subjects such as tropical medicine, immediate life support, midwifery skills and trauma care, before we knew it we were boarding the plane to Zambia. Fifteen hours of flying and we arrived at Kenneth Kaunda International airport and were greeted by nursing tutors and students from the UTH Nursing School who took us to our accommodation. The evening was spent settling into accommodation at the nursing school and getting to know the student nurses. We were overwhelmed by the atmosphere at the school, not only how friendly and enthusiastic everyone was but how beautiful the gospel singing by the student nurses was.
Our first experience of UTH was a guided tour, but nothing could have prepared us for what we saw. Our tour started in the paediatric block where we were shown the general wards, children’s and neonatal ICU, emergency department as well as the children’s malnutrition wards. With rows and rows of children and babies, already it was apparent the lack of resources and sanitation facilities available. It was surprising to see the smiles and positivity from parents with