Topic: Having Better Conversations in Challenging Situations

An immersive and interactive clinical communication workshop for Scottish Specialist, Associate Specialist and Specialty Doctors and Dentists which equips participants with the skills and confidence to have better conversations in challenging circumstances.

This workshop is open to SAS Doctors and Dentists only

To register your interest in the course: Click here

Or for any queries, email: sasdevelopment@nes.scot.nhs.uk

Overview

Working in a small peer group, participants will address communication challenges drawn from their own clinical practice, management and teaching roles. Common challenges addressed during the programme often include:

• Complex, shared decision-making & informed consent
• Handling anger, emotional distress, collusion or denial
• Addressing and preventing complaints
• Being open about adverse events
• Discussing goals of care, levels of intervention and CPR status
• Communication in teams and effective handover

Learning Outcomes

This clinical communication workshop offers participants the opportunity to:
• Review & evaluate their current practice in relation to communication in a wide range of roles and situations.
• Identify personal learning objectives and develop strategies for addressing these within a senior clinicians’ peer learning group.
• Critique and apply relevant literature/ theory on effective communication.
• Consider and take account of patient/carer/colleague perspectives.
• Identify and practise ways of increasing communication effectiveness.
• Exchange ideas and experiences with colleagues from other specialties

A two day advanced clinical communication workshop for EC4H tutors. Participants must attend both dates:

Monday 3rd February 2025

Tuesday 4th February 2025

Workshop Overview

Communication education is delivered most effectively using experiential teaching and learning methods that allow clinicians to integrate their existing knowledge and experiences with new approaches. This national tutors’ training workshop offers experienced clinical teachers the opportunity to review and develop their teaching and enable them to work as advanced communication course tutors. Those who complete the workshop and subsequent supervised teaching practice will be eligible to join the national EC4H tutors’ network if their employer holds an EC4H licence.

Learning Outcomes

This tutor training workshop enables clinical teachers to:
• Review and critique their own approaches to communicating with patients, their relatives & colleagues
• Explain and demonstrate the importance of taking account of the perspectives & goals of both interviewer and interviewee in clinical practice and teaching
• Describe and identify key communication skills and strategies for addressing challenging interviews
• Discuss and apply adult learning theories in communication teaching including action learning, constructivism, and reflective practice
• Identify personal learning objectives as a tutor and develop strategies for addressing these within a peer learning group
• Exchange ideas and experiences with other communication tutors
• Use and evaluate experiential approaches to teaching and learning communication
o Interactive demonstration
o Participant role play
o Constructive, outcome focused, behavioural feedback

An immersive half day interactive workshop for Doctors, Senior Nurses and other healthcare staff (Band 6+).  Participants will work in a small peer group to address challenging, real life complaint scenarios drawn from their own clinical, teaching and management roles. Participants will be empowered with the communication skills and confidence to have better conversations when responding verbally to complaints.

This workshop includes a presentation and Q&A session with the Patient Experience Team.

Common challenges addressed during the programme are;

• Addressing and handling complaints
• Resolving conflict and preventing complaints from escalating
• Handling strong emotions – anger, emotional distress, denial and collusion
• Talking to patients and families involved in adverse events
• Addressing complaints from colleagues or other members of the clinical team
• Diffusing emotionally charged situations

Learning Outcomes

• Review current practice in communicating with patients, their relatives, colleagues and trainees
• Identify personal learning objectives and develop strategies for addressing these within a supported peer learning group.
• Evaluate and respond to patient/carer/ colleague perspectives
• Identify ways of increasing communication effectiveness
• Exchange ideas and experiences with senior colleagues from other specialties

Staff from all our partner boards/organisations are welcome to apply

Specialty Trainees & Senior Nurses

An Intensive one day workshop for specialty trainees, specialty doctors, clinical nurse specialists and advanced nurse practitioners. Other senior nurses and senior AHPs (Band 6+) are welcome to apply for this workshop.

This course is designed to cover the learning outcomes of an advanced communication workshop for specialty trainees.  This workshop is open to all our partner boards and organisations

Workshop Overview

This successful workshop has now been running for over 20 years. Groups of more senior doctors in training and experienced nurses work together in a small coaching group with two senior tutors. The course content is highly interactive with interview demonstrations and participant role-play. Each group will set its agenda at the start of the workshop and consider strategies for handling communication challenges from each participant’s own clinical practice. Participants receive individual coaching and support.

Participants from any specialty are very welcome to apply, as are GP registrars.  Open to all EC4H partner health boards and organisations.

Topics may include:

• Discussing complex or distressing information
• Handling anger, emotional distress, collusion and denial
• Shared decision-making and informed consent
• Discussing goals of care, levels of intervention and CPR status
• Handling poor performance
• Breaking bad news
• Communication in teams and effective handover
• Addressing and preventing complaints

Learning Outcomes

This clinical communication workshop offers participants the opportunity to:

• Review their current practice in relation to communication in clinical practice and with
  colleagues and other staff.
• Identify personal learning objectives and develop strategies for addressing these within
  a peer learning group.
• Consider and take account of patient/carer/colleague perspectives.
• Identify and practise ways of increasing communication effectiveness.
• Exchange ideas and experiences with colleagues from other specialties.

An immersive workshop for Managers, Team Leaders, Senior Doctors, Nurse Managers, and other staff in a leadership role.

This workshop is open to staff from all health boards.

Overview

Early resolution of conflict can help maintain working relationships and resolve disputes before they escalate leading to grievances. Workshop participants will be empowered with the communication skills and confidence to hold those difficult early resolution conversations to achieve the best outcome possible.

Common challenges addressed at the workshop may include:

• Recognising the signs of potential conflict, assessing the situation and providing appropriate intervention
• Prevent conflict from escalating by having effective early resolution conversations
• Understand common causes of workplace conflict and how to use communication to defuse situations
• Create strategies for dealing with different types of conflict
• Handle and respond to strong emotions and difficult behaviour with confidence, care and compassion
• Plan and prepare for challenging conversations with colleagues
• Listen and view situations from other peoples’ perspectives
• Encourage employees to communicate their problems openly, honestly and respectfully
• Give and receive feedback in a non-defensive way
• Try to resolve the barriers for conducting uncomfortable or difficult conversations
• Understanding your own biases and triggers
• Managing your own reactions, staying objective and non-judgemental

Learning Outcomes

• review current practice in communicating with patients, their relatives, colleagues and trainees
• identify personal learning objectives and develop strategies for addressing these within a supported peer learning group.
• critique and apply relevant models on effective communication
• evaluate and respond to patient/carer/ colleague perspectives
• identify ways of increasing communication effectiveness
• exchange ideas and experiences with senior colleagues from other specialties