Managing Challenging Conversations with Staff and Colleagues in Maternity Services

A specialist communication training course for maternity and neonatal leaders and senior clinicians. This programme focuses on delivering compassionate leadership in maternity services to improve safety, learning and clinical outcomes.

We have a track history, working in this field from 2002. Our work in maternity services has been commissioned by the Scottish Government, Health Improvement Scotland and NHS England.

Our programmes make a real difference for staff and have been evaluated highly:

'Need to integrate this training for all senior leaders' - Director of Midwifery 

'Bring this training into teams from Board to managers and leaders. It is really needed as command-and-control management is pervasive and inhibits collaboration' - Clinical Director of Maternity Services

• Understand how to anticipate and respond to staff reactions under scrutiny and pressure.
• Learn strategies and frameworks for empowering change, enabling staff and improving performance
• Practise skills with support and guidance in tailored perinatal leadership scenarios.

These programmes have been developed and delivered by senior maternity clinicians and psychologists who have extensive NHS clinical experience. You will learn practical skills, built in realistic simulation-based learning, so you can apply them immediately.

Book by 6th November to take advantage of our 25% Early Bird Discount.  For queries about Employer Funded Tickets, please email us at hello@cuttingedgepsychology.co.uk

ACCESSIBILITY – PLEASE NOTE: This course is being held at a traditional Edinburgh venue with stairwell access, and is not accessible to those who require step-free access.

We want our courses to be accessible to everyone and are planning future events at venues with step-free access. If you would like to be kept informed of these please contact us here: ec4h.org.uk/contact-us/

You can view a copy of the course programme here.

Tutor Team

Professor Belinda Hacking

EC4H Lead Tutor

Professor Belinda Hacking set up EC4H in 2002 and has led the development of this national training network. She has worked with professionals in healthcare across the UK developing the EC4H coaching and training programmes in clinical communication.  Until January 2025, Belinda worked for NHS Lothian as the Director of Psychology.  Belinda has a special interest in shared decision-making in healthcare and has more than 40 publications focusing on psychological adjustment in palliative care, clinical communication and shared decision making. HCPC accredited. She was awarded as a Research Fellow to the Open University in June 2025 and as an Honorary Professor to Edinburgh University in October 2025.  Prof. Hacking continues to work as a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and has a busy clinical practise, alongside her teaching, coaching and research roles.  British Psychological Society membership: 33194

Dr Ellie Caldwell

EC4H Lead Tutor

Dr Ellie Caldwell is a dual-chartered Coaching Psychologist and Clinical Psychologist (HCPC registered) with additional training and expertise in Organisational Psychology. For over a decade Ellie specialised in Clinical Health Psychology - working as an embedded member of NHS multi-disciplinary physical health teams in areas including Oncology, HIV and Sexual Health, and Plastic Surgery. She also spent four years working in (and latterly operating as clinical lead for) a specialist NHS psychology service for health and care staff. Outside of her clinical roles, Ellie has proven track record in providing Organisational Psychology interventions and coaching (executive, leadership, wellbeing and performance, and team-focused) for organisations in the public and private sectors. With a strong background in co-designing and delivering training, Ellie has been a tutor for EC4H for many years and has helped to innovate our approach to training by integrating psychological models and methods - equipping trainees with a strong theoretical foundation to their communication approach.

Dr Edile Murdoch

EC4H Senior Tutor

Dr Edile Murdoch is a consultant neonatologist in Edinburgh, previously in Cambridge. She gained expertise in managing maternity and neonatal services, adverse event processes and palliative care pathways in NHS England and NHS Scotland. Edile has worked with national, network and government teams to develop frameworks in managing risk and communicating with families and has co chaired the development of national UK Frameworks for managing perinatal palliative care. Edile recently became a national specialty advisor to the NHS England maternity and neonatal programme developing safety signal systems. Alongside this Edile has become a communications tutor for EC4H (Effective Communication For Healthcare) and is a trained mediator.