This course is only open to Cancer Nurse Specialists working within NHS Lanarkshire

A one day interactive workshop for Cancer Nurse Specialists which aims to equip participants with the skills and confidence to have better conversations in challenging situations.

This course is aimed at Advanced level of practice and aligns with the ACCEND Capability framework.

Overview

Participants will work in a small peer group and address communication drawn from their own clinical practice, teaching and management roles. Common challenges addressed during the programme are:

• Shared decision making & informed consent
• Managing disagreement within the clinical team
• Challenging conversations with patients' families
• Discussing complex or distressing information
• Taking over care from colleagues – effective handovers
• Managing complex negotiations
• Handling anger, emotional distress, collusion or denial
• Addressing and preventing complaints: talking to patients and families involved in adverse events
• Discussing future care planning, CPR and other treatment options
• Addressing poor performance by trainees, colleagues or other members of the clinical team
• How to enhance effective teamwork

Learning Outcomes

In this advanced clinical communication workshop participants will:

• 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.
• 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

Tutors

Dr Eve McCann - EC4H Lead Tutor

Dr Eve McCann is a Specialty Doctor in Care of the Elderly. Eve joined the EC4H Tutor Team in June 2018

Peter McMillan - EC4H Tutor

Peter McMillan is a Practice Development Practitioner working in NHS Lanarkshire. He began his career as a Nursing Auxiliary in 1992, then qualified as an RN in 1996. Peter spent the next 25 years working in older adult care, before moving into Practice Education/Development in 2021. He currently supports the Care Homes within NHS Lanarkshire and has an interest in Leadership, Future Care Planning and Palliative Care/Care Around Death.

Dr Alistair Brown - EC4H Tutor

Dr Alistair Brown is a consultant general surgeon with interests in surgical critical care and anticipatory care planning. He regularly teaches on critical care courses (a key component of which is communication skills) both in the UK and abroad. He has undergone training with Effective Communication for Health in Edinburgh and trained as a tutor in November 2016. He has taught communication to a variety of postgraduate groups as part of the critical care teaching. GMC number 3542039

Dr Christine Carswell - EC4H Tutor

Christine Carswell works as a consultant psychiatrist for the elderly in NHS Lanarkshire and has done so since 2008. She has a keen interest in both undergraduate and postgraduate education and regularly takes medical students from Glasgow University in her department for their Special Study Module. Having attended the EC4h courses she has become a trainer and finds that each course that she has been involved in both rewarding and challenging