This course is open to staff from all health boards / organisations

An Intensive one day workshop for specialty trainees, specialty doctors, clinical nurse specialists and advanced nurse practitioners. Other senior nurses and senior AHPs (Band 6+) are welcome to apply for this workshop.

This workshop is designed to cover the learning outcomes of an advanced communication workshop for specialty trainees.

Workshop Overview

This successful workshop has now been running for over 25 years. Groups of more senior doctors in training and experienced nurses work together in a small coaching group with two senior tutors. The course content is highly interactive with interview demonstrations and participant role-play. Each group will set its agenda at the start of the workshop and consider strategies for handling communication challenges from each participant’s own clinical practice. Participants receive individual coaching and support.

Topics may include:

• Discussing complex or distressing information
• Handling anger, emotional distress, collusion and denial
• Shared decision-making and informed consent
• Discussing goals of care, levels of intervention and CPR status
• Handling poor performance
• Breaking bad news
• Communication in teams and effective handover
• Addressing and preventing complaints

Learning Outcomes

• Understand normal psychological reactions when facing difficult situations
• Know yourself better by increasing your self-awareness
• Identify personal learning objectives and develop strategies for addressing these within a supported peer learning group.
• Increase your communication effectiveness

This communication course will not only increase your emotional resilience but also your job satisfaction.

Pre-workshop preparation

Workshop participants have found it useful to think about how they currently communicate and what situations are particularly challenging. As the workshop is based on participants’ own situations we will be asking what you would like to work on.

Please complete the pre-workshop evaluation as soon as possible as we use this information to plan the content of your workshop

Tutor Team

Dr Joanna McKenzie

EC4H Tutor

Dr Joanna McKenzie is a Consultant Clinical Oncologist for NHS Lothian, based at the Edinburgh Cancer Centre.  Joanna joined the EC4H tutor team in 2025.

Jennifer Pyper

EC4H Tutor

Jennifer Pyper completed her EC4H tutor training through the NES sponsored programme in 2010. Jennifer was a Bereavement Lead for NHS Lothian until her retirement in 2025.  Her clinical background is as a resuscitation officer in NHS Lothian with a special interest in paediatrics. She regularly contributes to all levels of communication courses and is keen to promote workshops raising awareness and facilitating discussions about Children and Young People’s Acute Deterioration Management.   (CYPADM). NMC number: 82E0229S

Dr Satyajit Ray

EC4H Tutor

Dr. Satyajit Ray is a Consultant in Paediatric Palliative Medicine working between Rachel House Children’s Hospice with Children's Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) and NHS Lothian Royal Hospital for Children and Young People’s Paediatric Palliative Care Team. He has been an Honorary Clinical Lecturer with the University of Glasgow supporting medical undergraduate training and has been an attendee at EC4H courses since 2022. He completed his EC4H tutor training in December 2025. GMC number: 7447498