Developed by the Practitioner Performance Advice Education service at NHS Resolution, Compassionate Conversations supports organisations to approach performance conversations with empathy, self-awareness, and a focus on psychological safety. The programme equips staff with practical tools and strategies to hold constructive, compassionate conversations in challenging and complex situations.
Following a successful pilot with five NHS organisations in the North West, the programme has been embedded in leadership development, civility initiatives, and delivered as tailored workshops for multidisciplinary and medical staff in providers such as Lancashire Teaching Hospitals and Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals. These organisations have demonstrated the value of compassion-led dialogue in building confidence and improving outcomes across multidisciplinary teams.
We are now continuing to deliver this programme nationally, available to all regions, using insights from previous programmes to further enhance our offer.
Programme model
The Compassionate Conversations offer includes:
- A delegate pre-workshop workbook
- A half-day facilitated workshop for delegates
- A full-day Train the Trainer session
Participation is free of charge. Trainers are supported with comprehensive materials to cascade the learning within their organisations, aligning it to local priorities.
Commitment for participating organisations
Organisations taking part in this phase are asked to commit to:
- Trainer selection – identifying suitable individuals to attend Train the Trainer
- Planning matrix – completing and returning the Compassionate Conversations planning matrix within three months of joining
- Schedule of events – delivering the pre-work, delegate workshop, and Train the Trainer session within an agreed six-week timeframe
- Project evaluation – contributing to programme evaluation through surveys at delegate and organisational levels (pre-/post-workshop, 3, 6 and 12 months)
Find out more
If your organisation is interested in taking part, or would like to discuss how Compassionate Conversations could support your local strategy, please contact the Advice Education Team at nhsr.adviceeducation@nhs.net.
You can also visit our dedicated FutureNHS platform page to access resources, programme updates, and a shared space for organisations and trainers involved in the programme.
We will continue to share learning and evaluation findings as the programme develops, paving the way for a refined national roll-out.
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