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About the Communication Skills Training project
Aim of the project
The aim of this project is to improve the use of communication skills and strategies of health and social care professionals working with older people who have a neurological condition by:
- Devising and piloting a training course highlighting the communication strategies that can be used when working with older people who have neurological conditions, and their carers
- Producing a toolkit summarising the practical strategies discussed during the training.
Pilot sites
The training is piloted in seven Primary Care Trusts:
- Hampshire
- Liverpool (already being delivered)
- Medway
- Sutton and Merton (London)
- Tower Hamlets (London) (already being delivered)
- West Kent
- Surrey
Background to the project
There are an estimated 10 million people in the UK living with a neurological condition and an increased prevalence of neurological conditions in older people. The Neurological Alliance highlight that "the numbers of people with neurological conditions will grow sharply in the next two decades due to increased longevity and improved diagnostic techniques".
On the Equality and Human Rights Commission's website there is a section on communication in relation to Health and Social Care. It states that 'good communication is essential to effective healthcare' ... 'it is the responsibility of your health or social care provider to overcome any problems with communication that may arise, not just in giving you information in a format that you can understand, but also in giving you sufficient opportunity to discuss your situation with the relevant people'.
The project is funded by the Department of Health for a period of two years and has clear links with the communication aspects of the National Service Framework for Older People, the White Paper 'Our health, our care, our say' as well as the National Stroke and Dementia strategies.
