Reflections on The Pandemic: Five Years On

Now that it has been 5 years since the start of the world pandemic, we caught up with our Founder and CEO, Carrie Hamilton, to reflect on how it impacted on the SimComm Academy team.

The pandemic forced many businesses to change the way they operated significantly, what impact did it have on the day-to-day operation of SimComm Academy?

When the pandemic hit, everything changed overnight. Our work with NHS Trusts came to a sudden halt, we simply weren’t allowed into hospitals. It was an incredibly uncertain time, and like many small businesses, we found ourselves at a crossroads, wondering how we’d survive.

But then something unexpected happened, our work with universities grew, slowly at first, but by 2021 they urgently needed support with placements for nursing and AHP students, and they turned to us. We responded quickly, creating simulated placements to meet their needs. Some were delivered online, others face-to-face on campus when it was safe to do so. It was a period of constant adaptation, but also of deep purpose.

We had just managed to run face-to-face communication skills sessions in Germany before borders closed, and our planned in-person delivery of ‘working with actors’ in Bahrain had to pivot into a two-day online webinar. We also used this unexpected pause to work on national accreditation, refine our organisational procedures, and strengthen our governance structures. So, when one considers impact, there were, in fact, some meaningful and positive outcomes during that time.

Please can you tell us some more about simulated placements and how this looked during the pandemic?

Simulated placements, now called simulated practice learning, became our solution and, in many ways, our innovation. We wrote clinical and communication scenarios from scratch, trained actors and facilitators, and created immersive learning environments that felt real, supportive, and transformative.

These simulations weren’t about ticking boxes, they were about helping students develop confidence, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence in the middle of a global crisis. We were trusted to deliver high-quality, meaningful learning experiences during a time when nothing felt certain, and that trust meant everything to us. So too, was the trust from the students and their absolute belief in us, actually, because we believed in them.

What were the biggest challenges during this period?

There were many, both personally and professionally. I contracted COVID in March 2020, before vaccines were available, I was really rather unwell. I remember lying in bed feeling like death, while trying to hold everything together. As I recovered, I entered survival mode, I made a decision to support the freelancers working for SimComm. We were not entitled to furlough, so I took a cut in pay in order to support others in my team. I also made the tough decision to resign from my university post, knowing I had to give all my energy to the business.

My father passed away in June 2020. I was supporting my mother through her grief, co-organising a funeral during lockdown, and trying to hold things together myself.

All four of my children returned home, and one of them, due to the teacher-assessed grading system, missed out on the university place she had worked so hard for. She had to take a year out to re-sit. At the same time, I was supporting my husband through some deeply personal, life-changing events.

As if that wasn’t enough, just as things got busy in 2021, I faced a major staff change. A very experienced team member left, and I had to quickly onboard and guide someone newer to the role, while also supporting others who, though dedicated, were still learning. It was a huge emotional and logistical weight to carry. I worked 150 days straight, including weekends, to keep SimComm Academy together.

What lessons did you and SimComm Academy learn during this period?

We learned that leadership isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about showing up, staying human, and holding your values close even when things feel impossible. We learned how to be agile without compromising on care. And we learned that true strength doesn’t always roar – sometimes it’s quiet, consistent, and deeply compassionate.

We also discovered just how powerful simulated learning can be when it’s done with thoughtfulness and emotional intelligence. It wasn’t just a temporary fix; it was a lasting evolution in how we support learners.

What did I learn? Well, I am learning that reflecting on this has forced me to remember that that time was really rather challenging, but here we are five years on.

How has all of this impacted on SimComm Academy in the long term?

That time changed us. It pushed us to grow in ways we never expected. Simulated learning with actors, whether training, creating films or placements is a central, respected part of our offering. We’re more grounded in our purpose.

It also showed us the importance of relationships, within our team, with our clients, and most importantly, with the learners we serve. Everything we do now is rooted in what we lived through: a belief in people, in empathy, and in education that truly supports the whole person.

Personal Reflection

“There were moments during that time when I honestly didn’t know how I was going to keep going. I was grieving, recovering, parenting, caregiving, supporting, and leading, all at once. And yet somehow, we did it. SimComm Academy didn’t just survive, it transformed. We held each other up, we stayed true to our values, and we kept showing up. If there’s one thing I know now, it’s this: the heart of any organisation isn’t found in its strategy or structure, it’s found in its people. And it’s in those quiet, relentless acts of care, even in the darkest of times, that real impact is made”

International Day of Education

The International Day of Education highlights the role of education globally and promotes accessible education for everyone as a human right. To learn more about the International Day of Education follow the link: https://unpartnerships.un.org/events/international-day-education.

To celebrate the International Day of Education this year, we are reflecting on Simulation-Based Education (SBE) within healthcare and how it contributes to patient safety.

For many, Christmas is a time for celebration, enjoyment and spending time with family and friends. However, Christmas can also bring challenges, including financial struggles, difficult relationships, competing family pressures, loneliness, bereavement or traumatic memories.

It is important to remember that Christmas brings different implications for everyone and showing compassion to ourselves and others over the festive season is paramount. Mental Health UK found that 80% of survey respondents felt that their mental health symptoms increased over Christmas and almost 75% reported feeling lonelier despite being with friends and family (2024). The Royal Society for Public Health found that 76% of survey respondents reported family arguments impact on their mental wellbeing in a negative manner over Christmas (2017).

We have put together 5 tips for mental health and wellbeing over Christmas:

1. Monitor your Social Battery

The “social battery” is a metaphor being increasingly used to describe the amount of energy and capacity an individual has for socialising with others. The size or capacity of a social battery will vary between individuals. Therefore, some people’s batteries may become “drained” at a faster pace than others. Whilst spending time with loved ones can be enjoyable and fulfilling, it can also be tiring and sometimes even challenging so it is important to be aware of our own social batteries and when they require “recharging”.

It can be helpful to be aware of the factors that contribute to the depletion of our own social batteries, for example, some people may find that their batteries drain faster when they are in large groups, at an event that goes on for several hours or in which the interaction or activity is energetic or particularly stressful. Identifying these factors in advance can help us to become aware when our batteries are becoming low and require recharging. We will all have different methods of recharging our batteries. For some it may be helpful to spend some time alone doing a quiet activity and for others it may be helpful to exercise or go for a walk. If we feel comfortable to do so, it can be helpful to communicate this with our friends and family so that they understand and do not feel rejected.

2. Reduce the Pressure

Christmas can bring a variety of pressures on our time, energy and finances.  The perceived need to contribute time and financial resources to presents, decorations, and travelling to visit family and friends can make it difficult to avoid feeling a pressure to do everything in the way that others appear to. It is important to avoid comparing our own Christmas to others and remember that Christmas is a personal time and traditions can be changed, adapted or even recreated to suit us as individuals whilst prioritising our own mental health, wellbeing and financial constraints.

Setting boundaries can be helpful when managing finances, time and energy levels and being honest with friends and family with regards to these boundaries can lead to a mutual understanding and may even allow others to feel comfortable in setting and sharing their own boundaries.

3. Forgive the Imperfections

Adverts, films and social media feed us idyllic images of presents around the tree, a Christmas dinner that has been cooked to perfection, everyone getting on well and children behaving immaculately.  However this isn’t always (or often!) the reality and that is ok. It is ok for things not to be perfect and for the real image not to match up to the ones we have seen in the films.  In fact it is highly likely that at least a few things don’t go to plan, just as it is on any other day of the year and it is important to forgive ourselves and others for this.

4. Be Compassionate to Others’ Circumstances.

As discussed above, Christmas will evoke different feelings and memories for different people and it is important to appreciate that others may want to celebrate in a different way, perhaps with their own time, energy or financial boundaries in place, or perhaps may not want to celebrate at all and it is always important to respect this. It is also important to remember that others are likely to have different social batteries to ourselves and to respect that theirs may need “recharging” more frequently or at a different time.

For those of us with friends or family members with mental health needs, traumatic Christmas memories or bereavements, it can be helpful to talk to them before the festive period to ask if there is anything specifically that they may need support with. They may be grateful for the opportunity to share how best we can support them and this may be by giving them more space over Christmas, less space over Christmas or a regular scheduled phonecall or meet up to help maintain structure and routine.

5. Seek Support

If you are struggling over Christmas, there is no shame in being honest and reaching out for support from friends and family.  If you are struggling with any mental health concerns over Christmas, support is available from the resources below:

In the case of an emergency, call 999 or attend your nearest A&E Department.

17th September 2024 will mark the first ever National Memorial Day for Health and Care Workers Lost to Suicide set up by Doctors in Distress and NHS Practitioner Health. This is an opportunity for us to remember all of our colleagues who have taken their own lives.

NHS Practitioner Health (PH) has shared that over 2,500 health and care workers have been recorded to have ended their own lives since 2011, based on the Office for National Statistics’ data (NHS PH). It has also been reported that over 360 nurses made attempts to end their own lives in 2022 in the UK (Ford, 2023). Recent reports have highlighted a number of concerns regarding the wellbeing of doctors.

The recent General Medical Council (GMC) report, “The State of Medical Education and Practice in the UK Workplace Experience 2024” states, “a third of doctors are struggling and feel unable to cope.” This report also identifies that specific groups of doctors are at higher risk, highlighting that doctors in training are more likely to experience burnout than any other doctors and that GPs experience the lowest satisfaction levels and are at highest risk of have difficulties with their workload. Similar issues were also highlighted in the GMC “National Training Survey 2024” where 21% of trainees were identified as being at high risk of developing burnout and 52% found their job emotionally exhausting to a high or very high degree. With regards to trainers, 50% were found to be at high or moderate risk of developing burnout.

For further information on National Memorial Day for Health and Care Workers Lost to Suicide, please visit the link below where you can also find out about how to order memorial pin badges, the proceeds of which go to support the mental health of healthcare workers:

https://doctors-in-distress.org.uk/national-memorial-day/

Doctors in Distress have also set up the National Memorial Tree Campaign, encouraging all hospital trusts and primary care settings to remember healthcare staff who have taken their own lives by planting a tree on their grounds. To find out more about this project and see the memorial trees that have been planted so far, please visit the link below:

https://doctors-in-distress.org.uk/national-memorial-tree-campaign/

If you are a healthcare worker struggling with any mental health concern, please do reach out for support from the following:  

In the case of an emergency, call 999 or attend your nearest A&E Department.

References:

Doctors in Distress. National Memorial Tree Campaign. https://doctors-in-distress.org.uk/national-memorial-tree-campaign/ Accessed on 22/8/2024.

Doctors in Distress. National Suicide Memorial Day for Health and Care Workers. https://doctors-in-distress.org.uk/national-memorial-day/ Accessed on 22/8/2024.

Ford, M. (2023, March 9). More than 360 nurses attempt suicide in 2022, says charity. Nursing Times.https://www.nursingtimes.net/news/nurse-wellbeing/more-than-360-nurses-attempted-suicide-in-2022-says-charity-09-03-2023/

General Medical Council. (2024). National Training Survey 2024 Results. https://www.gmc-uk.org/-/media/documents/national-training-survey-summary-report-2024_pdf-107834344.pdf

General Medical Council. (2024). The State of Medical Education and Practice in the UK Workplace experience 2024. https://www.gmc-uk.org/-/media/documents/somep-workplace-report-2024-full-report_pdf-107930713.pdf

Practitioner Health. National Suicide Memorial Day for Health and Care Workers. https://www.practitionerhealth.nhs.uk/news/health-and-care-staff-lost-to-suicide Accessed on 22/8/2024.