Wednesday 3 June: ONLINE -10am – 4pm. Please read full course information below. After completing payment, you will be emailed important information regarding accessing this course. Please check your spam folder if you do not receive. If you have any concerns, please email us.
Empathetic Communication and navigating complex NHS complaints
£150.00
Description
Empathetic Communication and navigating complex NHS complaints
The Foundation for Infant Loss Training would like to invite you to attend our baby/infant loss course that will focus on empathetic communication, navigating complex NHS complaints, and providing immediate signposting. Professionals often meet parents when they are frustrated or seeking answers about their care.
This is particularly relevant in the recent climate of The National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation led by Baroness Amos.
Course Content: Part 1
The Impact of Baby Loss
- Understanding the Landscape: Statistics on miscarriage, stillbirth, and neonatal death in the UK.
- The Nature of Grief: Recognising that grief is non-linear and can manifest as anger, confusion, or numbness.
- Unique Grief Factors: Understanding the complexities of loss in multiple pregnancies, termination for medical reasons (TFMR), or losses after long fertility journey
- Understanding the current national crisis in NHS England’s maternity services and how that may impact parents attitudes and levels of trust towards NHS services. This also applies to the investigations and convictions of both Letby and Fuller.
Sensitive Communication
- The Power of Language
- Active Listening: Techniques for holding space
- Compassionate Clarity: How to explain hospital processes (like post-mortems or investigations) without sounding clinical or defensive
- Common linguistic pitfalls to avoid, along with the “Compassionate Alternative.
- “The “Don’ts” of Baby Loss Communication
- Red Flags in Written Communication
- When writing letters or emails to bereaved parents, avoid these common “Process-First” habits
- Non-Verbal “Don’ts”
- The “Golden Rules”
- Example of a “Standard vs. Compassionate” comparison communication regarding a complaint
Navigating Concerns and Complaints
- Managing Anger: Recognising that parental anger is often a projection of deep pain; techniques for de-escalating while remaining empathetic.
- Safety First: If the anger turns to threats of physical violence consider an “Exit Strategy”—how to end the interaction safely without abandoning the parent’s needs.
- The National Bereavement Care Pathway (NBCP): Familiarising yourself and your team with the 9 standards of care parents should expect to help identify where service gaps may have occurred.
- Duty of Candour: Encouraging transparency when parents have questions about their medical care.
Staff Wellbeing and Vicarious Trauma
- Recognising Burnout: Understanding the emotional toll of hearing traumatic birth stories daily.
- Self-Care Strategies: Establishing “de-brief” sessions after difficult meetings.
- Workplace Support
Course Content: Part 2
A first contact meeting is often the most critical point in a parent’s interaction with the NHS after a loss. For a officer, this is a delicate balance of providing a safe space for grief while being clear about the process for resolving concerns.
First Contact Checklist: Baby/child Loss
- Preparation (Before the Meeting)
- Opening the Meeting
- During the Conversation
- Closing and Next Steps
- Follow-Up (Within 24 Hours)
Role Play Scenarios: Our Training for staff regarding baby loss focuses on navigating the delicate balance between handling a service user’s frustration and providing compassionate, trauma-informed support. We will therefore cover how to deal with the following scenarios:
A parent calls two weeks after a neonatal loss. They are distressed because they haven’t received a follow-up appointment they were promised. They feel “forgotten” by the hospital
A family of Orthodox Jewish or Muslim faith loses a baby at 02:00 AM. Their faith requires burial before sunset that same day.The Consultant who attended the birth has gone home and won’t be back for 48 hours to sign the MCCD or Stillbirth Certificate. The mortuary is closed to external funeral directors until 09:00 AM. How do you manage this?
The Estranged Father & Consent: Mother consents to a hospital post-mortem; the father (with parental responsibility refuses, how to manage conflicting parent wishes under Human Tissue Authority (HTA) guidelines.
Due to a mortuary or administrative error, a baby’s remains or a “memory box” has been misplaced or incorrectly handled.
A family comes to your office. They want to see their medical records because they have questions about the care received during labor. They are visibly angry and overwhelmed
A family whose first language is not English is struggling to understand the hospital’s funeral or burial options for their baby. They are upset that their specific religious requirements aren’t being met.
A family is angry because they feel they were “interrogated” about a post-mortem examination immediately after their baby died. They now want to withdraw consent but don’t know who to talk to or if it’s “too late.”
A baby dies, and it is discovered that a previous screening result was missed by the hospital.The parents are now hostile and litigious during your first meeting.
Plus others
** Many attendees have received funding for this training from their hospital charity so it is worth asking if your department does not have access to training funds **
Date and Time: Wednesday 3 June: ONLINE -10am – 4pm
Fee: £125 plus VAT (£150)
Certificate and resources post session are provided
You will receive booking details within 48 hours