About this resource
Communication during challenging times
There is enormous evidence in the international literature that effective communication and cooperative working support staff to deliver safe, effective and compassionate patient care. A number of resources to aid communication are provided in this area.
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Making conversations easier – video consultations
Video consultations are not new. However the current crisis has forced many clinicians to rapidly take up video consultations as a feasible alternative to face-to-face consultations. This is often a type of consultation that staff have not encountered before.
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Communication skills for staff wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
The global COVID-19 pandemic has affected how both patients and clinicians experience face-to-face consultations. The need for clinicians to wear PPE which can make them appear intimidating and disguises their non-verbal communication. In these circumstances, core communication skills, particularly those required to establish and maintain a supportive therapeutic relationship are particularly important.
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Making conversations easier – telephone consultations
Many healthcare staff are now carrying out consultations on the telephone. This is often a type of consultation that staff have not encountered prior to COVID-19. -
Communication guide for difficult conversations
The rapid spread of COVID-19 through our communities and the need for large numbers of patients to be rapidly assessed, triaged and admitted to hospital places enormous strains on patients, their loved ones and the clinicians working to help them. -
Communication and Conversation during Covid-19
Guide to Communication and Conversation during COVID-19
PPE adds an extra ‘layer’ when communicating with patients and each other. The Speech and Language Therapy team in Beaumont Hospital have developed a guide with helpful practical tips
Click here to download the Communications and Conversations Guide
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Supporting people with disabilities requiring hospitalisation with COVID-19
Adapted from: “Clinical guide for front line staff to support the management of patients with a learning disability, autism or both during the coronavirus pandemic – relevant to all clinical specialities” (NHS, 2020), this document provides practical guidance.
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A guide to active listening podcast
Are you actually listening when someone is talking to you, or just waiting for your turn to talk? Now more than ever listening is a critical skill as we work remotely and active listening in particular helps us change our mindsets towards one that’s trying to understand someone else’s perspective, as opposed to being focused on getting our point across or being right! The guest, a veteran of the Iraq War, practices how to truly listen to others.
