Communication Skills Advanced (2 day course)

The course is designed to give an overview for any member of staff who work with patients and their families and are faced with emotional or difficult questions around end of life or illness. This course will include practical application based on participants own experiences and roles.

The objectives are:

To understand the theories and principles around communication
To understand and explore the challenges of communication in End of Life Care.
To look at grief and how that may affect having difficult conversations.
To think about ways that we can overcome barriers to enhance our communication skills within our role.
To develop confidence in communication when the situation or conversation becomes difficult.

Course delivery

This session will be delivered by Louise Brown and Julie Taylor

As one of our practice educators, Louise works within the therapies team as a senior physiotherapist. She is passionate and knowledgeable not only about supporting patients in their own home, but also about alternative therapies, touch techniques and effective communication skills, having been trained in all of these. Her goal is for everyone to receive holistic care.

As a nurse, Julie is passionate about evidence based practice. Her PhD followed people through from pre to post diagnosis, exploring adjustment and in some case acceptance. As a senior lecturer she is vastly experienced in teaching from T-levels and TNA, through Undergraduate to Postgraduate Masters levels. Having been at Dorothy House for two years, this has reaffirmed her belief that the best teachers are the patients and their families.

Who should attend?

The course is designed to give an overview for any member of staff who work with patients and their families and are faced with emotional or difficult questions around end of life or illness.

Course details

This course is face to face and will include scenarios and role play as well as an element of information giving. The participants will be asked to think about difficult or challenging conversations that have happened in their role and these will help structure the content for the day.

Supported by the Ambitions Framework (NHS England » Ambitions for Palliative and End of Life Care: A national framework for local action 2021-2026)

Ambition One:

Each person is seen as an individual

I, and the people important to me, have opportunities to have honest, informed and timely conversations and to know that I might die soon. I am asked what matters most to me. Those who care for me know that and work with me to do what’s possible.

Course content

This interactive course has an element of simulation.

The courses has a grounding in theory to help add context. It will explore the participants own communication skills and the use of emotional intelligence.