Supporting Health Care Support Workers to manage difficult conversations and provide dignified care

Introduction In the acute sector, health care support workers (hcsw) care for patients with palliative care needs, performing intimate tasks that often lead to patients asking difficult questions or wanting to talk about emotionally painful issues.

It is also a key area for potential loss of dignity. Research has demonstrated that qualified health care professionals who have had communication skills in their training struggle in this area. (Heaven and Maguire 1996, Fallowfield et al 2001,Wilkinson et al 2002) Health care support workers receive little or no training in how to manage these conversations

Aim The aim was to develop a DVD that highlights the impact of health professionals behaviour and communication upon a patient’s dignity and how to listen to the patient in a safe and supportive way

Developing a DVD With much support from the Mental Health Training Department , Angela Mc Carthy (HCSW) and Jane Brooks (RGN) A DVD was produced by the Palliative Care Team

OUT COMES Dvd used for communication training on a study day for health care support workers. It had a higher impact than the usual role play scenarios

EVALUATION Evaluation by 46 Health Care Support Workers all evaluated the session as excellent to very good.

Some of the Comments made by 26 nurses on What specific action learning will you take back to your work place “To take time to listen and to try to understand the patients feelings” “That little things really matter” “To realise that your actions can make a difference to the patient” “I can make a difference just by listening”

Development To offer the DVD to wards and other areas that are interested, as stand alone distance learning package in communication Apply to Argoed for accreditation To incorporate the DVD as part of a proposed initiative to develop champion HCSW in Palliative Care