MEET the latest recruit to Hereford and Worcester Ambulance Service.

He is six feet, handsome, strong and much in demand.

After only a month he has been injured and killed several times, all in the course of duty but always bounces back for more.

His name is SimMan and he cost the ambulance service £24,000.

SimMan is not made of flesh and blood but is as near as you can get to reality.

He is in fact a hi-tech mannequin, computer programmed to do almost anything you could want a man to do, except wash up.

Hereford and Worcester Ambulance Service is one of the first in the country to enrol him into its ranks and he is considered one of the best training investments it has ever made.

Geared up

At present SimMan is based at the ambulance training HQ at Hartlebury and paramedics are flocking there to get a bit of the action. Three from Herefordshire are taking their turn.

Dave Lee, clinical supervisor at the centre, says SimMan is revolutionising the way ambulance paramedics train.

In the past, much of it has been by theory only or through physical training in hospitals.

SimMan has changed all that by offering the real thing.

Linked to a computer he can be geared to simulate almost every injury or illness a paramedic is likely to encounter.

Unlike previous mannequins he can be made to breath, talk, scream, bleed or die - and often has.

Paramedics can inflict on him broken legs, crush injuries and breathing difficulties. His airway system means his chest can sink and rise as he breathes, his lungs can be collapsed and when he is healthy he should have pulses in all the right places.

On top of this SimMan is programmed with a set of heart, lungs, vocal and even bowel sounds (no, not those) which can all be adjusted for volume.

He has all the usual 'bits' can be injected with drugs and given blood transfusions and, as well as displaying a variety of symptoms, responds negatively or positively to any treatment given.

SimMan can be made to feel better or worse and his facial features change to match his mood.

It's like having a real person on which to practice, but even better. If you make a mistake and kill SimMan switch him off, then back on again.

Paramedics will use SimMan every three years for requalification but they can refresh their skills at any time.

SimMan is good for paramedics and good for patients.

Every good ambulance service should have one.

It is great news that Hereford and Worcester is helping to lead the way.