What is CVR?
In 2022, Combined Virtual Reality (CVR) was added to Combined Healthcare’s portfolio of communications products and channels.
Virtual reality is an experience that can be similar to, or completely different from, the real world. It can be used for a range of entertainment, education, medical training and business purposes.
Virtual reality can be experienced either by wearing a virtual reality headset or in an immersive environment to allow the user to look around the artificial world, move around and interact with virtual features, images and sounds.
Delirium training
To mark international World Delirium Awareness Day 2022, we released our first CVR experience to help frontline healthcare staff create conversations, increase understanding and empathy towards those with delirium.
The training film places the viewer inside the head of a patient with delirium in a hospital bed. We see what the patient sees, hear the thoughts in her head and experience some aspects of what delirium causes her to see.
To mark World Delirium Awareness Day 2024, Combined Healthcare announced that the film had gone international, with the launch of a Danish language version, produced in partnership with Gødstrup Hospital, Herning, Denmark.
You can watch the training video below either through a VR headset or in via web browser, using the cursor to move around the room.
360 degree and VR walkthroughs
We are pioneering the use of virtual walkthroughs of our mental health services to allow service users and their loved ones to preview the facilities they will be using. In doing so, the Trust is breaking down barriers to accessing mental healthcare facilities by dispelling myths or misconceptions about what modern, compassionate NHS mental healthcare looks and feels like.
The increasing use of digital technology to increase access to NHS care is one of the three central pillars of the Government’s Ten Year Plan for the NHS, published in July.
Sarah and Barry
The use of virtual walkthroughs was highlighted through the launch of a new film called “Sarah and Barry – a 360 degree virtual walkthrough of Ward 4”. We are grateful for the partnership and contribution of Matterport ( https://matterport.com ) and Spliced Films ( https://splicedfilms.co.uk ) in working with us to make this film.
Barry is a service user at Ward 4 at our Harplands Hospital with dementia.
In this short film, we meet Barry and his daughter, Sarah. Before she agreed to her Dad being admitted to Ward 4, Sarah was able to use our 360 degree virtual walkthrough of Ward 4 to see the facilities and allay any concerns or preconceptions she may have had about what a mental health facility looks like.
We also hear from Dr Becky Chubb, Deputy Clinical Director and Joe McCrea, Associate Director of Communications about the clinical and engagement benefits brought to the Trust and its services and service users through the use of 360 degree walkthroughs.
You can watch the film below.
The tours can also be viewed on our individual service pages.
Robbie Williams in VR
The culmination of our REACH 2022 Awards in November 2022 was this special version of Robbie Williams’ ‘Angels’ – performed by the dDeaflinks Choir.
You can watch the virtual reality format of the performance below.
Multi-media exhibition
To mark the NHS’ 75th Birthday on 5 July 2023, we launched a multi-media exhibition to mark the anniversary.
Called ‘Mental Health Reflections. Past. Present. Future. Vault.’, the exhibition featured a virtual reality experience, delivered in partnership with Staffordshire University.
Project Chrysalis virtual tours
Project Chrysalis sets out to further improve the inpatient facilities and patient experiences at Harplands Hospital. The new facilities are part of the biggest single capital investment at Combined Healthcare since the creation of Harplands Hospital.
As part of the launch of the first phase of Project Chrysalis, we unveiled a virtual tour of the new facilities on Ward 3 so that our staff, stakeholders, service users and their families can experience Project Chrysalis for themselves. This was followed up by a virtual tour of phase two on Ward 1.
The virtual tours can be viewed on any web browser or by using a VR headset.
Combined VR – the next steps
- produce more virtual tours of its clinical areas and services
- broadcast virtual reality recorded and live events to reach a wider audience and increase participation
- further develop the Lawton House Digital Studio – an innovative digital space featuring state-of-the-art digital walls to deliver a stunning new experience for filming, events, meetings, inductions, organisational development and training activities