Publish date: 23 July 2025
Growing NHS training and simulation facility celebrates accreditation
A state-of-the-art NHS education facility in Northumberland is the first of its kind in the north to gain prestigious accreditation.
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s Dinwoodie Assessment and Simulation Hub (DASH) has become the first NHS institution in the north of England to achieve organisational accreditation for The Association for Simulated Practice in Healthcare (ASPiH).
DASH at Northumbria is a state-of-the-art simulation-based training and education facility, based in Wansbeck General Hospital. DASH aims to provide an environment for teams and individuals to learn, develop, and be assessed in delivering high-quality, safe and effective patient care.
The facility provides various teaching opportunities and multi-professional courses, from basic clinical skills training days to high-fidelity team scenarios and external bookings.
In receiving accreditation, the department has demonstrated that it exceeds a benchmark of performance. The team has also showed that it delivers high-quality simulation, provides a high level of expertise, and is developing its workforce.
Nichola Jenkins, DASH simulation centre manager, said: “I am incredibly proud of the whole team and would like to thank everyone for all of their hard work.”
ASPiH is the national body that guides simulation-based practice in healthcare.
The ASPiH panel said: “We are delighted to recommend accreditation of DASH at Northumbria, and it was a pleasure to conduct the visit.
“The department is well established from a simulation perspective, with a clear focus on high-quality delivery. The department should be commended on their commitment to simulation.”
With increasing demand for the simulation and medical education, the team has expanded, welcoming new faculty members from different professional backgrounds to help deliver training. This growing workforce will enable the department to support more teams across the trust, including through in-situ simulation in the workplace.
As well as the growing team at Wansbeck, DASH will also be expanding to North Tyneside General Hospital. This facility includes two simulation wards, debriefing rooms, a clinical skills area, and a suite of mannequins and task trainers.
Media contact:
Jesse Ngonyama, communications assistant