Communications Training in Medical Education

We get great feedback from talks and workshops we present, at conferences and universities:

‘Thank you so very much for your participation, which made a huge difference to the event and helped make it a success.’ Dr Imran Saif. MB BS, FCPS (Med), FCPS (Neph), FASN, FRCP. Associate Postgraduate Dean, Health Education England. May 2016

We’ve had several summers of successful workshops and public talks, and we now are pleased to offer training with a bit of oomph, for healthcare professionals. With the threat of high litigation bills and Duty of Candour, it’s essential to learn how to maximise communication skills.

Sessions are interactive and participatory, led with sensitivity, panache and humour by Communications Specialist and actor Elspeth Penny and medics including Oncology Professor David Radstone and consultant Dr Mike Jeffreys.

We have presented on the topics:

• Challenging Conversations (SAS Doctors’ Conference, Plymouth 2016).
• How To Communicate Bad News Well (The 4th Annual SAS Doctors’ Conference in Bristol 2015, The Patient Safety Conference 2015).
• Consulting students, facilitating medical consultation skills sessions and providing simulated patient services for ten years for medical students at Peninsula Medical School, Plymouth University, Bristol and Bath University.

About our workshops:

• Ideal number of participants: 30 or under
• For enquiries about other topics available, and fees: elspeth@2buproductions.co.uk or tel: 07736371087
• For Elspeth’s blog post on one of our talks see: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-break-bad-news-medical-consultation-introduction-written-penny?trk=prof-post

More Feedback on our workshops:

• ‘Dear Elspeth,

My team and I would like to thank you and Dr Mike Jeffreys for presenting at our 5th Annual SAS Doctors’ Conference at Plymouth on 10-11 May 2016.

The conference went extremely well and informal feedback I received from the delegates was excellent; we will send you the formal feedback next month.

Thank you so very much for your participation, which made a huge difference to the event and helped make it a success.’

Dr Imran Saif. MB BS, FCPS (Med), FCPS (Neph), FASN, FRCP. Associate Postgraduate Dean, Health Education England.

• ‘The feedback has been very positive and we would like to thank you for your contribution’, Faculty and Trainee Performance Administrator at Health Education South West. Professor David Radstone and Ms Elspeth Penny – How to communicate bad news to patients 2

• ‘Dear Elspeth, thank you so much for doing the Breaking bad news talk at the conference with Professor Radstone. It was good to have a talk that made people reflect on what it might feel like to be the patient or the patient’s relative. The scene where Professor Radstone broke the bad news to you made many people feel quite emotional, me included’. Katherine Dougherty, Conference Director.

• ‘Thank you for your professionalism, excellent role-play and feedback,’ Dr Andrew Tressider, Musgrove Park.

• ‘Your comments and feedback really was spot on and very useful,’ Exeter University 2^nd year medical student.

• ‘I became familiar with Elspeth’s performance work through having observed her acting as a patient during a selection process for GP training. I was impressed by her authentic portrayal of the case concerned, as well as the flexibility she showed in responding to different interpretations by the trainee doctors, whilst staying within the confines of the brief – not an easy task. It is immediately apparent that Elspeth is a highly reflective practitioner who can adapt her performance skills to a variety of genres and for different audiences and purposes.’ Jane Rowe, Senior Fellow HEA, Learning and Teaching Advisor at Exeter University.