South East Coast Ambulance Service develops NHS infectious disease training

South East Coast Ambulance Service has developed specialist PPE training for NHS hospital staff dealing with suspected highly infectious diseases.

The programme has been introduced following NHS England's call for a consistent approach to protective equipment when treating patients suspected of having a High Consequence Infectious Disease (HCID).

Specialist instructors from SECAmb have created a training course designed to help hospital workers safely use the recommended protective equipment when assessing potentially infectious patients.

The training was initially delivered at Haywards Heath College in West Sussex, but growing demand prompted the ambulance service to develop an in-hospital version.

This allows trainers to work directly with NHS staff in their own hospitals, including within designated isolation areas.

Since January, the ambulance service has delivered 13 trainer courses and nine days of hospital-based training.

A total of 75 trainers have been trained, while 72 staff members have been signed off as competent in wearing the specialist equipment.

Matt Hopkins, SECAmb's HCID Educational Lead, said: "We have run 13 trainer courses since January and 9 days of in-hospital wearer courses. In total that's 75 individual trainers trained and 72 wearers signed off."

He explained that taking the training directly into hospitals had provided additional benefits.

"This meant we could train their staff in a more convenient place," he said.

"Plus we could visit their isolation areas to give our feedback – in some places we were actually able to train in situ."

The programme follows increased attention on highly infectious diseases during 2026, including reported outbreaks of Hantavirus on a cruise ship and Ebola in parts of Africa.

SECAmb said some hospitals had received patients suspected of having highly infectious diseases, although none of those cases had been confirmed.

The training consists of two courses.

The first, known as the Wearer course, teaches NHS staff how to correctly put on and remove protective equipment, as well as how to support colleagues through a buddy system.

The full-day programme includes practical exercises and simulated scenarios.

A second course prepares NHS staff to train their own colleagues.

During the practical sessions, ultraviolet spray is used to simulate contamination, allowing participants to see how infectious material could spread and how protective equipment helps reduce the risk.

Feedback from participants has been positive, with all attendees rating the instructors five out of five.

The overall training experience also received five-star ratings from 92 per cent of participants.

SECAmb says the courses are available to NHS staff who may be required to use or provide training in the nationally recommended protective equipment for highly infectious diseases.

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