MDX’s adult social care training recognised at major industry event

Nearly 400 adult social care nurses have had vital training through the project

An innovative project - between Middlesex University, North Central London Integrated Care Board (ICB), local councils, care home staff, residents and relatives – has been praised at a major industry awards ceremony.

It was highly commended at the Health Service Journal (HSJ) Patient Safety Awards 2025, in the Safety Improvement Through Technology category.

This recognition highlights MDX’s innovative approach: using simulated learning with adult social care (ASC) nurses to strengthen skills, confidence, and patient safety in care homes across North Central London.

The initiative to upskill social care nurses working in care homes across North London was devised after following a 2023 survey of 48 care homes in the ICB area found a lack of high-quality clinical training affected staff retention, quality of care and level of support for nursing students on placement.

In total, 380 ASC nurses have been trained at MDX’s state-of-the-art Simulation Centre at StoneX, Mill Hill.

This training was focused on Verification of Expected Adult Death – the process by which a medical professional confirms someone has died – reducing the demand on doctors to perform this role and thus avoiding delays. The training was then extended to cover catheterisation (a procedure that involves inserting a tube into the bladder to remove urine), handling dementia, and end-of-life care skills.

In a survey, 99% of nurses who took the Verification of Expected Adult Death course either strongly agreed or agreed that it gave them sufficient knowledge and skills to perform this vital function and the confidence to support residents, families and their team. They felt better supported and significantly more valued. Respondents said they were more confident in the delivery of clinical skills having attended the training.

“The HSJ commendation is further, well-deserved recognition of the impactful partnership between us and adult social care, transforming both service user and staff experiences through the delivery of high-quality, bespoke simulation training." Carmel Fitzsimons, Senior Lecturer in Adult Nursing, Middlesex University

Some care home residents, and their relatives visited the Simulation Centre to co-produce training for adult social care staff and students to improve the care experience.

The project has led to MDX working with five more care home partners, providing a predicted 60 placements a year for student nurses. In June last year, the programme was highly commended for Healthcare Partnership of the Year at the London Higher Awards.

Commenting on the recognition from HSJ, Carmel Fitzsimons, Senior Lecturer in Adult Nursing at MDX, said:

“The HSJ commendation is further, well-deserved recognition of the impactful partnership between Middlesex University and adult social care, transforming both service user and staff experiences through the delivery of high-quality, bespoke simulation training. The Simulation Team and wider Nursing and Midwifery Team, at Middlesex University, are committed to an adaptable and flexible approach in addressing current clinical challenges.  We work collaboratively to meet the evolving needs of our healthcare partners, ensuring our practices remain responsive and future-focused, driving safer high quality care for our communities.”

The pioneering training programme has already won three awards by the health and higher education sectors since June 2024.

Find out more about studying Nursing at MDX